Maak 'n Plan: Dr Phokeng Setai

Before he was Dr. Phokeng Setai, curator at Zeitz MOCAA and a leading voice in contemporary African thought, he was a boy in Bloemfontein with two dreams: score goals on the football pitch, or reach the absolute summit of education.

Born to a mother who dedicated her life to teaching and a father who navigated market research as a true journeyman, Phokeng grew up in the quiet shadow of a heavy legacy. On both sides of his family were MK soldiers—men and women who lived in exile and paid the price for freedom.

While the pitch called to him early on, it was books that shifted everything. Reading didn’t just change his perspective; it unlocked an entirely new way of understanding history, human stories, and the world around him. Fast forward to today: holding a PhD in Anthropology, he’s honoring where he comes from while shaping where visual culture is going.

On this episode of Maak 'n Plan, we sit down with @phokeng_setai to talk about family lineage, the power of print, and how deep human curiosity turns into a lifelong blueprint.