Chaze Matakala

Biography

My work sits at the intersection of cultural memory, gendered histories, and the institutional possibilities of the contemporary art museum. As a researcher, writer, and cultural strategist, my practice is grounded in the conviction that African women’s knowledge systems, often situated at the margins of global cultural narratives, are fundamental to the production and expansion of knowledge.

My MPhil research at the University of Cape Town (2020) examined constructions of female power among the Lozi people through decolonial and gendered frameworks, forming the foundation of my ongoing curatorial and writing practice. At the Women’s History Museum of Zambia, this research has taken institutional form through the development of engagement programmes that foreground overlooked histories for diverse Zambian audiences. I translate archival and oral research into accessible public outputs across digital and academic platforms.

I am also a Research Assistant on a forthcoming collaborative project between the University of Zambia’s Gender Department and the University of Cape Town’s African Gender Institute, which explores collective memory as a feminist epistemology for students, activists, scholars, and broader publics. The project examines intergenerational memory through the lived experiences of “feminist elders–mothers–daughters” who have shaped feminist knowledge production in Zambia over the past four decades.

Alongside my curatorial and research practice, I have extensive experience in communications for non-profit artist residencies and commercial galleries across Southern and West Africa, including Gallery 1957 and dot.ateliers in Accra. I also maintain critical writing practice, contributing to international publications including ArtReview.

Chaze Matakala, Researcher at The Women's History Museum of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia, has been awarded by the Saastamoinen Foundation (Helsinki, Finland).