Online Reporter
Trust Khosa
Zimpapers Arts, Entertainment Hub.
NATIONAL Gallery of Zimbabwe executive director Raphael Chikukwa firmly believes the country’s creative community is in safe hands and is poised for even greater success.
This follows the organisation’s international appeal ahead of the upcoming 58th International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM) conference, scheduled for November in Harare.
As the first African country to host such an event, Chikukwa spoke highly of the conference.
“We have made history as a nation by hosting CIMAM, which is the only global network dedicated to museum professionals working in the field of modern and contemporary art,” he said.
“Its members include museum directors, artistic directors, curators, and independent curators. Founded in The Hague in 1962, CIMAM is an affiliated organisation of ICOM (International Council of Museums). CIMAM fosters a forum for international dialogue, professional exchange, shared learning, and collective responsibility on ethical museum practices, while advocating for the essential role that modern and contemporary art museums play in the social and cultural development of society. In accordance with the ethical principles of the ICOM Code of Ethics and CIMAM’s Code of Ethics, it represents the interests of museums, non-profit collections, artists, and museum professionals engaged in the field.
“Through research, publications, and professional programmes, CIMAM promotes knowledge-sharing, good practices, and the development of ethical and professional standards. Guided by the values of diversity, solidarity, collective responsibility, and critical thinking, it provides a space for reflection on the present and future of museums, and contributes to strengthening the global museum sector through international cooperation and debate.”
Chikukwa revealed that CIMAM’s governance model reflects its commitment to participation and collective responsibility.
“Every three years, members elect a board of 15 museum professionals who serve on a voluntary basis and provide strategic leadership for the organisation. The current board was elected during the 2025 Annual Conference in Turin and will serve until 2028.
“The most visible expression of CIMAM’s mission is its Annual Conference — the organisation’s flagship gathering and one of the leading international forums for museum professionals working in modern and contemporary art. Hosted each year in a different city and region of the world, the conference brings together around 250–300 museum directors, curators, and cultural leaders from over 90 countries worldwide to reflect on the most pressing issues facing the sector.
“In 2026, CIMAM will celebrate the 58th edition of its Annual Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe. Curated by an international Content Committee, each conference is organised around a central theme that addresses key challenges and transformations within the museum field. The programme combines keynote lectures, panel discussions, breakout sessions, site visits, and engagement with the local artistic and cultural context — creating a space for critical reflection, professional exchange, and international collaboration. A distinctive feature of the event is CIMAM’s Travel Grant Programme, which supports the participation of 30–40 museum professionals from emerging economies each year, ensuring a diversity of voices and perspectives within the global conversation. The programme has been organised since 2005 and has provided grants to more than 400 museum directors, curators, and museum professionals working in emerging economies, enabling them to attend the Annual Conferences for over 20 years. The grant covers all travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs throughout the three-day event. The programme’s principal supporter is the Getty Foundation.”
He also revealed that Harare has been endorsed for its infrastructure to host the event. “The 58th CIMAM Annual Conference, hosted by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare from November 20–22, 2026, marks a historic milestone. For the first time since CIMAM’s foundation in 1962, the organisation’s global network of museum directors, curators, and leaders in modern and contemporary art will gather on the African continent.
“The choice of Harare reflects CIMAM’s longstanding relationship with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. In 2007, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe received a CIMAM Travel Grant to attend the Annual Conference in Vienna. Fifteen years later, in 2022, its delegate returned to the conference in Palma de Mallorca as Director of the institution and formally presented Harare’s candidacy to host a future edition of the conference,” he said.
The selection of Harare represented a significant step in CIMAM’s commitment to broadening perspectives within the international museum community and recognising the role that African institutions, histories, and knowledge systems played in shaping contemporary museum practice.
Participants, he said, have been offered a unique opportunity to engage directly with the artistic, cultural, and intellectual contexts of the continent — fostering dialogue and exchange from within Africa itself.
