WHO IS HEALING THE BROKEN ARTIST?
PHD SYNDROME IS KILLING THE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
There is a PhD that is meant to be celebrated — a Doctor of Philosophy, the highest academic achievement, a symbol of discipline, research and mastery.
But there is another PHD quietly destroying the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa.
PHD: Pull Her Down. Pull Him Down.
And this one is not a qualification. It is a sickness.
We are an industry that gives flowers when someone has passed on.
We write long tributes.
We post heartfelt messages.
We speak about “legends” and “icons.”
Yet many of those same people were not fully supported, protected, or celebrated while they were alive. Their brilliance was often met with silence, jealousy or quiet resistance.
Why is it easier to honour the dead than to uplift the living?
This is an industry where the spotlight can feel like a curse.
The moment it is your time to shine, someone — somewhere — is working overtime to dim that light. To question your legitimacy. To highlight your flaws. To whisper narratives that chip away at your credibility.
Instead of asking, “How do we support this moment?”
We ask, “How do we survive it?”
Instead of saying, “We are proud of you,”
We say, “But…”
Why is it so hard to compliment one another without adding a “but”?
We speak often about depression and mental health in our sector. We attend panels. We share awareness posts. Yet the culture of the industry remains brutal.
“The show must go on,” they say.
And it does.
The show goes on when someone breaks down.
The show goes on when someone disappears quietly.
The show goes on when a career is damaged by gossip, manipulation or sabotage.
And the industry moves on — quickly.
How do we expect mental health issues to decline in a sector where survival sometimes means selling out your own?
We have normalised the phrase:
“It’s a dog-eat-dog industry.”
But who made it that way?
When did competition become cruelty?
When did ambition become hostility?
When did excellence become a threat?
There are people in this industry who compete not only in talent — but in tearing others down. Evil deeds are justified in the name of survival.
And the most dangerous part?
It has been normalised.
We fight government for better funding.
We challenge institutions for fairness.
We demand transformation and accountability.
Yet within our own spaces, we discredit one another.
How do we demand justice externally while practicing injustice internally?
How do we speak about unity in policy meetings, but practice division backstage?
How do we advance the best interests of the sector while we are easily manipulated to hate on each other?
The word “I” has become louder than “we.”
“I did this.”
“I deserve this.”
“I should have been chosen.”
But the Cultural and Creative Industries were built on collaboration. Theatre is ensemble. Music is harmony. Dance is synchronisation. Film is collective labour.
Art itself teaches us “we.”
So why are we practicing “I”?
We were told that art can heal the nation.
But who is healing the broken artist?
How can broken artists heal communities?
How can wounded creatives build social cohesion?
How can a sector that thrives on internal sabotage become a vehicle for national healing?
If we do not confront the PHD Syndrome, no policy reform will save us. No increased funding will fix us. No new regulation will protect us from ourselves.
Because the most dangerous threat to this industry may not always be external.
Sometimes it is internal.
This article is not written to accuse — but to awaken.
We must become conscious of how we treat one another.
We must celebrate each other loudly while we are still alive.
We must protect the light of those rising — not dim it.
We must create spaces where excellence is not seen as betrayal.
If we do not dismantle the Pull Her/Him Down Syndrome, we will continue burying our brightest stars — emotionally, professionally, and sometimes physically — before their time.
The Cultural and Creative Industries deserve better.
But more importantly, we deserve better from one another.
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