DAY 1 AT THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY ARTS INDABA
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.
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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 state-level recognition of community arts as a matter of national importance, not a peripheral or residual concern.
Image: DSAC DDG, Mr Sibusiso Tsanyane Source: Facebook
The official welcome by the Acting Deputy Director-General of DSAC clarifies the purpose of the Indaba: to move beyond fragmented conversations and toward coordinated thinking about the Community Arts Development Programme (CADP).
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Image: DSAC DG, Dr Cynthia Khumalo
Source: DSAC
The keynote address by the Director-General of DSAC sets the strategic tone for the day. This moment is critical because it locates community arts within broader national priorities, policy commitments and governance frameworks. It is here that participants are invited to reflect on whether existing policy intentions are being matched by implementation, resources and accountability.
Image: Ms Nontutuzelo Sekhabi
Source: Facebook
A central feature of Day 1 is the overview of the Community Arts Development Programme (CADP) presented by DSAC. This session provides a shared reference point for all participants, outlining what the programme was intended to achieve, how it has been structured, and where challenges have emerged. Without a common understanding of the CADP, meaningful dialogue on reform and repositioning would not be possible.
Image: Dr Chatikobo Munyaradzi
Source: LinkedIn
The Indaba then moves into one of its most important segments: the presentation of the national research process and findings. Led by the Wits University research team and ATCA, these sessions unpack how the research was conducted, the different provincial models identified, and the key findings emerging from engagements across all nine provinces. This is not merely a technical exercise. The research grounds the Indaba in evidence, lived realities and comparative insight, ensuring that discussions are informed by what is actually happening on the ground rather than assumptions or isolated experiences.
Image: Traver Mudzonga
Source: ResearchGate
The findings presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session, opens space for interrogation and reflection. It allows practitioners and officials alike to test their own experiences against national patterns, and to begin identifying systemic issues such as infrastructure decay, uneven provincial support, governance gaps and sustainability challenges.
Image: Mpho Molepo
Source: Facebook
In the afternoon, Day 1 shifts focus toward the ecosystem surrounding community arts. Presentations acknowledging past recommendations for the CADP are particularly important, as they invite honest reflection on what has been proposed before, what has been implemented, and what has been lost through policy discontinuity. This moment implicitly asks a difficult question: how many times can recommendations be made without meaningful follow-through?
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Image: Caryn Green
Source: Facebook
The session highlighting DSAC-funded community arts centres provides a snapshot of current investment and practice, while also raising questions about equity, access and long-term viability. These presentations create a bridge between policy intention and institutional reality.
Image: Bobby Rodwell
Source: Facebook
The day concludes with a panel discussion featuring representatives from all nine provinces. This is one of the most critical engagements of Day 1. Provincial voices are asked to reflect on the status of community arts in their regions, the successes and limitations of existing CADP models, the role of provincial networks, and relationships with conduits. This session foregrounds diversity of context while also revealing shared structural challenges across provinces.
Source: ATCA
Taken together, Day 1 is about framing the national conversation. It establishes a shared language, shared evidence base and shared responsibility. It reminds participants that community arts cannot be discussed in isolation from policy, research, funding and governance. Most importantly, it sets the expectation that the Indaba is not a ceremonial event, but a working space where difficult truths must be confronted if the sector is to move forward.
As the Indaba progresses, Day 1 stands as the anchor: a day that asks participants not only to listen, but to reckon with where community arts stand today and why collective action is no longer optional.
TODAY PROGRAMME:
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