Zeitz MOCAA

Zeitz MOCAA opened in 2017 and quickly became one of the most talked-about museums in the world, both for its mission and for its building. The museum is dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora, and it is the largest institution of its kind, with galleries spread over several floors of a former grain silo in the V&A Waterfront. The silo, built in the early twentieth century and once the tallest building in Cape Town, was converted by the London studio of Thomas Heatherwick, who faced a peculiar problem: the structure was a dense bundle of tall concrete tubes with no interior space. The solution was to carve a vast atrium out of the middle of the tubes, its shape based on an enlarged grain of corn, so that the cut edges of the cylinders form curving walls and openings that rise to a glass roof. Standing in the atrium and looking up is the moment most visitors remember, and it is as photogenic as people say. Above, the upper floors of the old elevator tower are clad in bulging, pillowed glass windows that glow at night; they belong to The Silo Hotel. The galleries themselves show changing exhibitions drawn from the museum's collection and from loans, featuring painting, sculpture, photography, video, textiles and installation by established and emerging artists from across the continent and its diaspora. Because the programme rotates, the art on show varies from visit to visit, and some exhibitions deal with difficult themes of history, identity, colonialism and the body. The museum is open daily from ten in the morning until six in the evening, with last entry at half past five, and free one-hour tours run on weekdays at lunchtime, booked on arrival.

How to visit well: book a timed ticket online, particularly at weekends and in the summer holidays, and give yourself at least two hours. Start in the atrium, then work upward through the galleries; the lifts and the glass-tube staircases are part of the experience. The free weekday tour, which starts at half past twelve, is an excellent introduction to the building and the current shows, but places are limited and allocated on arrival. The museum has a shop of art books, prints and design, and a restaurant called Ocular, which serves food, wine and cocktails during the day. The Silo District outside has more galleries, cafes and views over the harbour to the mountain.

The building has its critics, who argue that the architecture can overwhelm the art and that a museum of African art built at a luxury waterfront development raises questions of access. It is a debate worth having in the galleries themselves, and the museum has worked to widen its audience through education programmes and reduced rates for residents of Africa. Exhibitions vary in strength, as at any contemporary art museum, but the best of them introduce artists who are rarely seen outside the continent.

Who it suits: anyone interested in art, architecture or contemporary Africa, and photographers drawn by the atrium. Families with older children often enjoy it; the content of some exhibitions is not suitable for young children, so check what is showing. Pair it with lunch in the Silo District, a sunset drink at a Waterfront rooftop, or the Robben Island ferry from the nearby Nelson Mandela Gateway. Getting there is easy: the museum is on Silo Square at the western end of the V&A Waterfront, a short walk from the Clock Tower, with the Silo garage next door for drivers and ride-hailing drop-offs at the door. On a windy day, when the cableway is closed and the beaches are sandblasted, it is the best indoor plan in the city, so keep it in reserve for the weather.