Are We Ready for Serious Conversations? Social media and WhatsApp groups have become powerful meeting places for artists, cultural practitioners, administrators, and activists.  They connect us instantly, collapse distance, and allow voices from the margins to enter the centre of conversation.  Yet the uncomfortable question remains: what are we really using these spaces for? Too often, our digital platforms are reduced to publicity boards, self-promotion tools, or worse — arenas for gossip, ego battles, and personal vendettas.  In a sector that remains largely unregulated , it is striking how easily we mobilise online energy to bash one another, spread rumours, or discredit those who speak out, while avoiding the harder, more uncomfortable conversations that could fundamentally transform the industry. The Missed Opportunity Imagine if there were WhatsApp groups and online forums where practitioners were actively engaging with: The Cultural Institutions Act The Public Fin...

A Note of Appreciation to Alex Theatre Company and Academy The Creative Passport Online Media Publication extends its sincere appreciation to Alex Theatre Company and Academy for partnering with us as one of the official media partners during the 2026 National Community Arts Indaba. This partnership was not symbolic. It was a deliberate and committed collaboration, anchored in a shared belief that community arts conversations must be documented, amplified, and made accessible beyond conference rooms and formal programmes.  The Creative Passport demonstrated this commitment through a daily posting schedule over a full week , leading up to the Indaba, throughout its duration, and until its closing day. Image: Community Arts Indaba Sitting      (Source: Arts TV) Beyond Coverage: Active Participation Beyond publishing content, The Creative Passport was present — physically, intellectually, and critically.  The Founding Editor, Thami akaMbongo Manzana, attended the ...

From Reflection to Responsibility As delegates gather on the final day of the National Community Arts Indaba, the mood shifts from diagnosis to decision. After days of listening, debating, mapping challenges and surfacing long-standing frustrations, the last day is designed to bring clarity on what comes next before participants return to their provinces. This final engagement is not ceremonial. It is a working session that asks difficult questions about accountability, coordination and continuity in the community arts sector. The emphasis moves away from identifying problems — many of which are well known — towards consolidating insights and outlining pathways for action.                      Image: ATCA Logo      (Source: ACTA) Consolidating Provincial Realities One of the key objectives of the final day is to consolidate inputs from provincial engagements. Delegates are invited to reflect on recurring patterns tha...

No One Should Be Left Behind Scan the report and see for yourself what unfolded in your province — who was consulted, where engagements took place, and how community arts voices were brought into the national conversation. Across the arts and culture sector, many practitioners have raised concerns about exclusion — not knowing where consultations took place, who represented their province, or how decisions were informed.  Access to clear information is one of the most important ways to address these concerns. Alex Theatre Company and Academy (ATCA) has now made the Community Arts research findings publicly accessible. These findings provide a province-by-province account of where consultations were held, who participated, and who represented each province during the research process. The Creative Passport encourages all creatives, organisations and practitioners to scan and read the sections relating to their own provinces. Understanding what happened on the ground helps demystify ...

  From Deliberation to Direction After a successful and productive Day 1,  Day 2 of the National Community Arts Indaba shifts the focus decisively from reflection to resolution.  Where Day 1 asked who we are and where we come from , Day 2 asks the harder questions: how do we fix what is broken, how do we strengthen what works, and how do we build a sustainable future for community arts in South Africa? Day 2 is deliberately designed as the working heart of the Indaba.  It is less ceremonial and more structural — engaging policy, funding frameworks, governance models, provincial realities, and implementation challenges that continue to define the lived experience of community arts practitioners across the country.          Image: ATCA Logo         Source: ATCA Building from Day 1 The day opens by reconnecting participants with the key reflections, tensions, and commitments that emerged on Day 1. This continuity is critica...

Setting the Tone for a National Conversation Day 1 of the National Community Arts Indaba today is designed to do more than officially open the gathering.  It deliberately sets the intellectual, policy and practical foundation for the conversations that will unfold over the following days.  Image: MTF CEO, Tshiamo Mokgadi          Source: MTF Hosted at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, the opening day brings together government leadership, researchers, practitioners and institutional partners to confront the current state of community arts in South Africa and to frame the questions that demand collective attention.           Image: DSAC Logo             Source: DSAC The morning begins with a formal briefing and official opening led by senior leadership from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT).  This opening is significant because it signals ...