British Council Connect ZA is bringing together a range of fresh, innovative creative talent to this year’s Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival. Sponsored by the City of Johannesburg, this year the festival is concentrating on a new African vision of Community, Spirituality, and Femininity.
With everything from visual installations to live debates to virtual reality performances, we’re continuing the ethos of building community and sharing skills with innovation and digital as the core focus. We will work with creative and digital practitioners from South Africa and the UK to focus on new opportunities while plugging into a range of exciting events at the festival.
“I’m really excited about this programme and how projects like Creative Hustles, the Market Hack and Maker Library Network engage the youth, making industry experts from both countries and their technology more accessible. It’s all about sharing innovative tech with new audiences,” said Thato Noinyane, Project Manager, British Council Connect ZA.
We intersect with South Africa’s celebration of Women’s Month, as we profile and delve into the experience and work of women who are influencing the tech and creative industries in a big way. With a Creative Hustle, we look at how women are breaking boundaries in their mediums and explore the intersections between technology, creativity, and innovation. We also offer a Maker Library workshop aimed at mentoring young female engineers and programmers.
“Fak’ugesi has established itself as part of the cultural calendar in South Africa, so it’s great to be a part of the festival again this year. Some of the most exciting global advances are being driven by tech and creative invention. Linking the brightest tech and creative talents our countries have to offer benefits us all; in fact, it’s usually what stimulates the best ideas and innovation. British Council is here to help that collaboration take place.
Creative possibilities remain unfulfilled in the tech and innovation sector because women are massively under-represented in the industry. I hope this year’s focus on women will alert everybody that this must change,” said Tom Birtwistle, Deputy Director, British Council South Africa.
All the events are FREE and open for public participation. We’ve got events aimed at everyone, whether you are an interested newbie to creative tech or you’re an experienced programmer or engineer.
For the full programme British Council Connect ZA offers, visit the website.