'Madiba says yes!' Tutu delights guests at Zeitz Museum opening

“Madiba says yes!”

With these words‚ Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu not only brought down the house but gave his blessing to the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa on Friday.

Tutu was the last speaker at the museum’s official opening in the Silo District at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town‚ and mimicked a telephone conversation with someone MC Africa Melane referred to earlier as “the man above”.

Tutu‚ 85‚ was in high spirits and appeared strong as he joined dignitaries for the cutting of 400 ribbons at the launch of the R500-million museum in the harbour’s 1921 grain silo.

At the end of the telephone “conversation“‚ Tutu announced “Madiba says yes!” to the delight of hundreds of people at the opening‚ including Western Cape Premier Helen Zille‚ Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille‚ German art collector Jochen Zeitz and architectural designer Thomas Heatherwick.

Zeitz Mocaa houses the largest collection of contemporary African art on the continent. It comprises 100 gallery spaces and is expected to be able to accommodate 800-900 people at a time.

Speaking at the opening ceremony‚ Zille said: “The Zeitz Mocaa will go down in modern history as one of the most iconic facilities to visit‚ not only in Africa but in the world.

“We must also acknowledge the economic value this will add to the province. This iconic museum will attract guests from all over the world. This in turn will create jobs and grow the economy.”

Said De Lille: “Today we are celebrating this museum as a symbol of the confidence we have in being African.

“The museum will be a key attraction to travellers from all over the world and will help us combat seasonality by turning Cape Town into a 365-days-a-year must-see destination.

“I am honoured to be here today and to see Cape Town taking its rightful place among great art cities such as Paris‚ New York‚ Mexico City‚ Vienna‚ and Sao Paulo.”

The museum will be free to all visitors over the opening weekend‚ ending on Monday‚ and will open its doors to paying customers on Wednesday.