Johannesburg, – Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) held its 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) as a moment of reflection, accountability and renewed momentum, bringing together members, partners, Board members and stakeholders to consider the organisation’s progress during the 2025/26 financial year and the next phase of its work. The meeting told the story of…
Johannesburg, 4 September 2026 Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) and Canva are partnering to strengthen digital capability across South Africa’s creative economy. The partnership gives creative practitioners and organisations practical design resources, training and a stronger path to sustainable business growth. The partnership sits within BASA’s Value Makers campaign, which recognises the contribution creative…
Johannesburg, 28 August 2026 — Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is expanding its support for the creative economy with the launch of the BASA Business Accelerator, a four-month programme designed to help established creative businesses move from proven commercial traction towards investment, procurement opportunities and…
How Evidence Is Rewriting South Africa’s Creative Economy I love the South African Cultural Observatory’s (SACO’s) mapping studies. Call me a research nerd, but there is nothing more satisfying than curling up with a good dose of cultural statistics. But SACO isn’t alone. Over the past decade, a growing body of research has been quietly…
The EU’s Article 50 is changing AI and it could affect your work Article 50 of the EU’s AI Act (introduced 2 August 2026) has just changed the trajectory of AI use with immediate compliance measures being announced by global tech platforms that will make it possible to track AI generated content through invisible watermarks.…
CREATIVE FUTURES AFRICA 2026 TO BRING TOGETHER LEADERS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF AFRICA’S CREATIVE ECONOMY Johannesburg, South Africa – 23 July 2026 – The future of Africa’s creative economy will take centre stage in Johannesburg this September as leaders from government, business, finance, technology and the creative industries come together for the second edition of Creative…
The Arts Are Business Strategy Creativity is moving from the edge of the corporate agenda into the systems that shape growth, relevance and long-term value. For too long, the arts have been invited in as the “song and dance” after the serious business is done – useful for entertainment, reputation or a CSI line item,…
THE TRAGEDY OF CENSORSHIP Art allows us to engage with truth. It does not prescribe what we should or should not think; rather, it creates and holds a space in which we are confronted with realities and perspectives – often divergent, sometimes conflicting, and frequently ones we might never otherwise allow ourselves to encounter. This…
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…
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…
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…
by Sascha Polkey BASA Insights and Advocacy As Akinwumi Adesina closed his tenure as President of the African Development Bank in 2025, he stated: “The cost of raising capital in Africa is three or four times what it is in other regions. Why? Because of the so-called Africa premium… The issue is perception, the perception…
The creative economy is thriving with new voices, bold ideas, and entrepreneurial spirit and at the heart of this transformation stands the Debut Programme, a programme by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in partnership with Business and Arts South Africa (BASA). Since its inception in 2017, the Debut Programme has empowered hundreds of young creatives from rural…
The Supporting Grants 2.0 webinar recording is now live and ready to watch online. In this session, BASA CEO Beth Arendse and the Supporting Grants team unpack the repositioned programme and share step-by-step guidance on the application process and criteria. This makes it an essential resource for anyone preparing to apply. Watch the recording here…
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is excited to announce a fresh repositioning of its flagship Supporting Grants Programme, signalling a new way of supporting the creative sector and strengthening partnerships between the business and arts. This update aims to spark innovation, increase impact, and build sustainable, high-value collaborations. For more than 25 years, the…
BASA × Audrey Lisik | Women’s Day Collaboration In celebration of Women’s Day, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) has partnered with artist Audrey Lisik to release a limited digital wallpaper series that honours the strength, creativity, and beauty of women. Message from the Artist In this gentle yet symbolic piece, a woman places ladybugs onto the blooming and towering flower.…
Happy Women’s Day! This Women’s Day, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is celebrating the power of creative women with the #SheCreates Starter Pack — a free digital toolkit designed to help young creatives transform their passion into thriving, sustainable businesses. Developed through BASA’s Debut Programme, the How to Start a Creative Business Toolkit is your go-to guide for building a creative…
A new wave of creative entrepreneurs is building businesses across South Africa through the Debut Fund Programme, funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and implemented by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA). As part of the programme’s Hlanganisa Phase, BASA introduced the Pitch Den presentations, an energetic platform where 203 emerging…
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is excited to announce the third iteration of its Debut Programme in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), which is aimed at empowering emerging artists in rural and peri-urban areas with the relevant business acumen to be profitable creative entrepreneurs. Applications are now open via…
Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) invites registered small and micro enterprises operating within the cultural and creative industries to apply for the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP4) grant funding. The Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP4) is aimed at creating opportunities in the creative and cultural sectors, with a strong emphasis on shared value.…
On the occasion of National Women’s Day in South Africa, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is proud to introduce the all-female adjudication panel for the 26th Annual BASA Awards. BASA is a membership organisation that elevates partnerships between businesses and the arts in South Africa; to this end, the BASA Awards celebrate and showcase…
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) has launched the Debut Alumni Accelerator Programme, scheduled to take place between September and November 2023. This is an extension of the Debut Programme, which provided emerging artists with the tools and support that they needed to implement and launch their creative projects over the span of three years. …
Today marks 26 years of Business and Arts South Africa’s (BASA) work at the nexus of business and arts partnerships. The arts have the power to bring people together, to bridge differences, and to promote social cohesion. BASA believes that all South Africans should have equal access to the arts and the opportunities they provide.…
Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) has three vacancies on the Board of Directors and the purpose of this notice is to call for nominations. The current Board comprises 12 Non-Executive Directors and one Executive Director, all of whom contribute to the overall success, governance and compliance of the organisation. BASA was founded in 1997,…
Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) invites registered small and micro enterprises within the cultural and creative industries to apply for the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP3) grant funding. An initiative of the Presidency and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), PESP3 is aimed at creating opportunities in the creative and cultural…
True to its unique DNA, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) has unveiled an innovative, year-long programme to mark its quarter of a century anniversary year. The compelling line-up of new initiatives, intermingled with BASA staples, aims to extend the organisation’s indelible legacy as a nexus for business, culture and creativity for a further 25…
Applications are now open for the new BASA Cultural Producers Programme, an intensive leadership accelerator training programme, which will also place candidates into South African creative and arts organisations that have identified the need for building leadership skills. Supported by the British Council Cultural Economy programme, and partnered by Common Purpose South Africa, the successful cohort will…
Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA), partnered by the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), has commissioned independent non-profit record label Rootspring to compose and produce a song calling on every South African to RISE! Economic empowerment, financial inclusion and social cohesion are Business and Arts South Africa’s core objectives,” says BASA Chairman, Charmaine…
It has come to the attention of the Board of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) that an article by Botho Molosankwe (an editor for the Star Newspaper), has been published and reports that BASA has been paid a sum of R9.9 million for assisting the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR)…
Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) in partnership with British Council Southern Africa Arts has announced the programme line-up for their joint venture ASSEMBLY. Billed as “not a conference, an un-conference, an indaba, a colloquium, or a symposium,” ASSEMBLY is a hybrid of live and digital engagements across social, digital and media platforms launching…