News Archives - Business and Arts South Africa

BASA AND CANVA PARTNER TO STRENGTHEN DIGITAL CAPABILITY ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA’S CREATIVE ECONOMY

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla September 4, 2026

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…

BASA LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME TO HELP CREATIVE BUSINESSES SCALE

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla September 1, 2026

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…

Nothing Sexier Than Data

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 31, 2026

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

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 27, 2026

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

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 27, 2026

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

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 20, 2026

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,…

BASA Brings Business and Government Leaders Together to Unlock the Creative Economy

NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 18, 2026

Johannesburg, August 2026 — Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with Jozi My Jozi, Andani Africa and Creative Capital, convened senior business leaders, government representatives and creative economy stakeholders for a strategic business dinner centred on “The Power of the Arts as a Business Strategy.” Hosted at The Venue at Nine Yards in Rosebank, Johannesburg,…

THE TRAGEDY OF CENSORSHIP

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla August 3, 2026

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

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 20, 2026

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…

A Sit-Down Chat with Julia Lemekwane

NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 16, 2026

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: A New Kind of Business–Arts Partnership Is Emerging

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 13, 2026

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…

BASA and British Council Launch Creative Youth Policy Lab to Strengthen Youth Participation in the Cultural and Creative Econo

NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 8, 2026

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…

BASA Supporting Grants 2.0 Showcases First Innovation Cohort

NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 2, 2026

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

Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla July 2, 2026

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…

DSAC and BASA ANNOUNCE FOURTH ITERATION OF THE DEBUT FUND PROGRAMME

NewsBy sinenhlanhla June 30, 2026

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has announced the fourth iteration of the Debut Fund Programme, a national creative entrepreneurship initiative that continues to strengthen its impact within South Africa’s creative economy. Since its inception in 2017, Debut has evolved into one of BASA’s flagship…

Breaking barriers in the creative economy is not about talent, it is about access

NewsBy sinenhlanhla June 23, 2026

When I joined BASA, I often asked a simple question: how many talented creatives never enter the industry, not because they lack ability, but because access to opportunity is uneven? Three years into working on the Debut Fund Programme, that question has become clearer. It is no longer theoretical, but a system reality. What we…

BASA Partners with Amazon to Help Creatives Start Selling Online

NewsBy sinenhlanhla June 18, 2026

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with Amazon South Africa, invites creatives and entrepreneurs to an exclusive online workshop designed to help you take the first step into global e-commerce with confidence. About the Workshop This practical, hands-on session will guide you through everything you need to know to start selling on Amazon…

BASA Is Calling For Proposals!

NewsBy sinenhlanhla June 4, 2026

Programme Overview Business and Arts South Africa’s Debut Fund Programme invites experienced professionals to apply for the role of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Consultant/Organisation to enhance the current curriculum and programme design of the Debut Fund Programme. This is to ensure relevant and sustainability for the Programme’s target demographic: young artists between the ages of…

From Political Liberation to Economic Imagination: Ubuntu Economics and Africa’s Creative Future

NewsBy sinenhlanhla May 26, 2026

Innovation is often thwarted by knowledge; an off-the-shelf solution that worked before, and somewhere else – transplanted, grafted or overlaid. When the test fails, the place is blamed, the lack of system, the people, but perhaps it was just a solution for another place, a different era. Perhaps it’s a new era now. Africa is…

Why the Creative Economy Matters for South Africa and How BASA is Evolving to Drive Its Growth

NewsBy sinenhlanhla April 28, 2026

South Africa’s creative economy is often underestimated and seen as cultural enrichment only, rather than a serious economic force. Yet the evidence tells a different story. The cultural and creative industries (CCI) already contribute nearly R300 billion to GDP. This represents about 4% of GDP, putting the CCI’s at similar levels to sectors such as…

DSAC Doubles Investment, Backing Emerging Creatives at Debut Fund Programme Graduation

NewsBy sinenhlanhla April 15, 2026

In a defining moment for South Africa’s cultural and creative industries, the Director-General of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Dr Cynthia Khumalo, has doubled the financial investment awarded to the Top 10 finalists of the Debut Fund Programme Pitch Den, reinforcing government’s commitment to unlocking opportunity and accelerating sustainable creative enterprises. The announcement…

BASA Masterclass Series

NewsBy sinenhlanhla April 13, 2026

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) will host the first session of its Masterclass Series, Building the Case: Articulating Value for Business, as part of the broader rollout of the BASA 2.0 evolved strategy, which positions BASA as a systems enabler and ecosystem builder within South Africa’s creative economy. EPISODE 1: BUILDING THE CASE –…

Debut Alumni Showcase the Power of Creative Entrepreneurship at #MyDebutStory Event

NewsBy sinenhlanhla March 10, 2026

The Debut Fund Programme, an initiative of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) in partnership with Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), hosted the #MyDebutStory Alumni Event on 6 March 2026 at Y Studios in Johannesburg. The event brought together emerging creative entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and sector stakeholders to celebrate the journeys of creatives who…

Vacancy: Executive Support to the CEO

NewsBy sinenhlanhla March 2, 2026

Job Title: Executive Support to the CEO Reports to: CEO Location: Johannesburg Type: Fixed-term contract (12 months, renewable) About BASA Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is a leading intermediary organisation at the intersection of business and the arts. We work to strengthen partnerships, unlock investment, and advance the sustainability and impact of the arts…

Vacancy: BASA Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager

NewsBy sinenhlanhla March 2, 2026

Job Title: BASA Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager Reports to: CEO Supervises: Membership Coordinator/Membership Officer Location: Johannesburg Type: Fixed-term contract (12 months, renewable) About BASA Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is a leading connector-catalyst at the intersection of business and the arts. We work to strengthen partnerships, unlock investment, and advance the sustainability and impact…

The ‘Africa Premium’ is a Narrative Problem

Case Studies, Media Releases, NewsBy sinenhlanhla February 26, 2026

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…

100 DAYS IN OFFICE WITH BETH ARENDSE

NewsBy sinenhlanhla December 12, 2025

My brilliant marketing team asked me to share a 100-day reflection on my time as CEO of BASA. I know this is “standard,” and everyone expects it – the reflective post, followed by my face attached to countless beautifully designed snippets celebrating the past few months. But that’s never quite been my style And in…

The G20 and Africa’s Creative Economy – A New Window of Opportunity

NewsBy sinenhlanhla December 1, 2025

By Beth Arendse, CEO, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) South Africa’s hosting of the 2025 G20 Summit was historic for many reasons – but one of the most important is what it means for Africa’s creative and cultural industries. For the first time, the G20’s political, cultural and business tracks aligned around a shared…

Creative Futures Africa Summit: From Unseen to Unstoppable 

NewsBy sinenhlanhla November 18, 2025

Image : (Far Left) Marie Lora Mungayi , (Left) Malibongwe Nzuza , (Middle) Beth Arendse , (Right) Wakiuru Njuguna , (Far Right): Gladwyn Leeuw Johannesburg, South Africa The Creative Futures Africa Summit, held under the theme “From Unseen to Unstoppable,” brought together creative leaders, innovators, policymakers, and investors from across Africa and the Global South to imagine…

Meet the Mentors Guiding Creativity into Enterprise

NewsBy sinenhlanhla November 12, 2025

The Debut Programme, an initiative by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), continues to nurture the next generation of creative entrepreneurs through its Catalyst Phase, a stage designed to equip emerging artists with mentorship, business acumen, and the tools to scale their creative ventures. In this phase, the Debut Programme introduces a remarkable group of…

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