The coolest thing about museums is that they fuel creativity, ignite minds and provide inspiration. The MoMA in New York City, has made that their mission statement. The other cool thing about museums is that cool people like Jay Z think museums are super rad (go listen to Picasso Baby), so if cool people think museums are cool, then that’s a lot of coolness to go around, right? But in an age when museum-going in on the decline, how do you take a 1930s art deco building turned an automotive wharehouse, in downtown Jozi and turn it into a creative space that aims to spark co-operation and innovation across the African continent? I am talking about the Museum of African Design.
MoAD is located in the Maboneng Precinct, I know that the naysayers have been saying Maboneng (a Tswana word meaning a place of lights) is a shitty project and that it’s gentrification, but, I am going to ignore them in this article. For me Maboneng is a rousing urban transformation, South Africa’s first arts and design neighbourhood, fuelled by some of Mzansi’s best creative minds like William Kentridge.The Museum of African Design is the first museum in Africa dedicated to design and it’s more of a cultural hub than a collecting institution, say like maybe the way the Lourve and Tate might be. MoAD’s vision as a unique institution, is to create a space where cultural engineers from across the African continent can come and share ideas and work.

Like Book Of Swag, our good friends at MoAD aspire to bring a contemporary Africa to an international audience, and no they did not pay for this article, it’s just that cool recognizes cool. I doubt that there has been a doper platform for creativity and innovation like MoAD and of course like all major arts institution, they ought to be investing in bringing technology and interactivity to the live museum experience, hopefylly that will attract a younger, more diverse audience.
The museum is currently closed for renovations, I couldn’t tell you until when because their phone just rings and rings, I am however, willing to bet that when they finally reopen, you should expect more flashy-technology-driven product launches and maybe some whiz-bang gizmos to wow the crowds. In 2015, they are going to need some impressive tech tools that will enhance our understanding of design while at the same time keeping our attention in the room and not on Twitter or Instagram. Because the modern museum-goer, smartphone in hand, wants to connect,, share and go deeper. So it’s important that design museums cater for that impulse. Ok, ok…that’s enough for today, in closing I’ll say this,I am certainly not Dion Chang, and maybe I am not on the brink of influential yet, but, if you ever bump into me out in Maboneng, please do buy me some craft beer for all the info I bring to you, deal?