Why the Arts Can’t Wait for the System to Fix Itself In my work at BASA, I have the privilege of engaging daily with extraordinary arts organisations – institutions that are quietly, consistently transformative in their communities. What is most striking is not only what they achieve, but how they achieve it, often with minimal…
Julia Lemekwane walked into our offices carrying a box in her hands. Inside were copies of her book, Conversations with the Angel Within. Without fanfare, she began handing them out to the BASA team one by one, taking our names as she went, and carefully signing each copy with handwritten messages of affirmation and gratitude. Behind…
Beyond a Logo on a Banner When South Africans think about business and the arts, a predictable image comes to mind: a corporate logo on a theatre programme, a mining house naming rights deal, a bank’s gala dinner sponsorship. But something different is starting to happen – and it’s worth paying attention to. Three recent…
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with the British Council South Africa, has announced the launch of the Creative Youth Policy Lab, a 10-week online programme aimed at strengthening structured youth participation in cultural and creative sector policy development. The programme brings together 10 young creatives (ages 20–35) from Gauteng into a targeted…
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) showcases the first cohort of projects funded through its Supporting Grants Programme 2.0, a reimagined funding model designed to catalyse business–arts co-creation through prototype partnerships and innovation-led experimentation. The selected projects reflect BASA’s shift from traditional grantmaking towards catalytic support for small-scale, time-bound initiatives that test bold ideas at…
Lead Like an Artist Why Creativity Matters in an Age of Radical Disruption I was recently asked to speak at a creative and cultural leadership programme for young policy shapers. Preparing for that moment triggered an unexpected realisation. I had never consciously articulated my own leadership journey – or even considered myself a leader. A…