
The 10th ArtsAbility Festival 2024 kicked off at Artscape on Tuesday 26 November 2024 (Photographer: Jeremeo le Cordeur)
16 days of activism for no violence against women and children
International day for persons with disabilities: 3 December
ArtsAbility Festival: 26 November - 7 December 2024
Artscape rural outreach 2024
Artscape artistic programme 2025

Artscape CEO Marlene le Roux welcomed the guests at the 10 ArtsAbility Festival on at Artscape until 7 December. (Photographer: Jeremeo le Cordeur)
As a government agency, we take our mandate from our country’s Constitution to work actively and diligently toward implementing social cohesion, human rights, equity, equality and the mainstreaming of accessibility for all persons impaired by disabilities, among other duties. The proof of the pudding lies in the eating. It is therefore not by accident that readers of a major daily Afrikaans newspaper, Die Burger, chose Artscape as their first theatre of choice for the fifth consecutive year in a recent online poll.
Year on year, our diverse artistic and educational programmes reach and inform South Africans from all backgrounds – from the most affluent areas to outlying semi-urban and even rural communities – with world-class productions across all the artistic genres, such as ballet, opera, symphonic music, jazz, gospel, musicals, drama, all dance forms and visual art, as well as specialised festivals, including the Schools Arts Festival, the Schools Drama Festival, the Youth Jazz Festival, the Women’s Humanity Festival, Rural Outreach and the ArtsAbility Festival, to name a few. Last week, we launched our year programme for 2025, once again showing our resolve to ensure that we stay on course in implementing our mandate and vision.
Equally important for us as a heritage institution on Cape Town’s beautiful foreshore is not to see ourselves as a separate entity from arts development programmes happening in our semi-urban areas, but to be constantly building bridges and holding hands with programmes in these areas. These programmes include the Resource Centre in Hanover Park and the Charles Louw Mamela Project in Manenberg (founded by renowned jazz pianist and composer Charles Louw from Manenberg), who, against so many odds stacked against them, soldier on, trying to create welcome spaces for youth by offering tuition in piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums and theory of music, thus contributing to the long-term development and well-being of the broader Manenberg community.
This brings me to my question: how do we change the economic system to help our young people, for whom there seems to be little or no hope, and who face crime on a daily basis? The performing arts are not just about what you see on stage. They are about job creation for those on and off the stage. Here, I also refer to the technicians responsible for the lights, the sound, the special effects, the props, the sets and the costumes; the production teams; the cleaners, who make sure you have a clean theatre, ablution facilities and common spaces each time; and front of house staff and ushers. Our youth in the semi-urban areas are trapped and prevented from capitalising on all these opportunities that a theatre of our stature has to offer. Our young people can’t walk freely with their music instruments from the community projects to their homes, without being accosted and robbed of their belongings. For persons who are differently abled, the situation is far worse.
I am still waiting for the president to answer me about his government’s lack of concern for persons with disabilities, shown in his speech during the opening of the Government of National Unity. If we, at Artscape, can mean and do what we say – a simple definition of the word “integrity” – why is our country’s leadership not serious about combating crime and implementing their grand policies, ensuring safety and opportunities for our youth? Why is the number of GBV cases rising? Why are our children dying by the day at the hands of criminals, their lives cut short before reaching their full potential? Why have Joshlin Smith and so many other abducted children not yet been found? As a theatre, we call on our government to do their job: to ensure that many more young people are afforded job and expression opportunities in the arts and at Artscape.

Cassidy Bailey (Photographer: Jeremeo le Cordeur)
It saddens me when we launch a programme for 2025 with the above in mind, that some of our stakeholders do not send representatives to such an important event to ensure that we as a collective continue to build a happy nation through the arts. At Artscape, we walk the talk; similarly, we need our associate companies, our media partners and our government partners to take our hand and do the same. In doing so, we collectively implement our Constitution and work actively toward giving hope to our youth in Cape Town’s semi-urban areas and rural communities, as well as contributing toward job creation for our youth and persons with disabilities.

Nothing about us without us! (Photographer: Jeremeo le Cordeur)
The 10th ArtsAbility Festival, from 26 November to 7 December, is another important event where we need everyone to come on board and mainstream the needs of persons who are differently abled. It is significant that it coincides with the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children. During our Women’s Humanity Festival in August, we invited participants to sign the pledge against GBV, showing our earnest concern for this scourge. This theatre is of global importance, taking the lead through the arts to highlight key issues that prevent our youth, women and children, persons who are differently abled and the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy full citizenship freely, due to violence and discrimination. As a global theatre, we have proved that all art genres and all communities matter through our artistic productions and festivals.
Recently, we relaunched the Rural Outreach Programme for the first time since the lockdown, mainstreaming persons with disability by taking hands with the Lief en Leed Organisation for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities in Mamre near Atlantis. We presented a true Artscape experience for the people of Mamre and Atlantis, in partnership with our trusted associated companies. And what a magical experience it was for all concerned – from the world-class technical team from Artscape, to the professional and local artists – proving that real change and empowerment are possible when stakeholders share a vision of implementing our country’s Constitution!
We therefore invite all stakeholders to join us once again in implementing our exciting programme for 2025 – to help publicise, to invite, to celebrate with us – to ensure that artists from all communities, all genres, all backgrounds, all abilities and all gender expressions are uplifted, empowered, recognised and celebrated.
Please visit our website www.artscape.co.za for all our programmes for 2025. Be a change agent for the arts, for our children, for our youth, for our women and for yourself!