Insetselfoto van Marlene le Roux: Menán van Heerden; agtergrondfoto: https://www.tribuo.co.za/the-tribuo-fund-home/
The Tribuo Fund, as part of their Tribuo Sessions series, held a conference on 5-7 June 2025 at STIAS in Stellenbosch. Discussions and presentations focused on how leaders and creators are navigating change, driving innovation and shaping the future of the arts in South Africa.
Marlene le Roux tells Naomi Meyer about her presentation at the recent Tribuo conference.
Please would you tell LitNet's readers about Tribuo and why this support fund is essential for South African arts and artists? This fund originated during the lockdown, but why is this fund and its ongoing support still in existence? Is everything not back to normal?
As an arts manager, I believe the artist must come first. And yes, the lockdown may have been the springboard from whence this fund stemmed, but we all know that artists (and others who make a living from the arts) are more often than not freelance workers. They do not have a fixed salary and do not have those other lovely perks that some of us salaried people have. This is the reason that Tribuo is still so very important post the lockdown. Remember, during the lockdown, whose lives were hit the hardest? The artists’ lives were hit the hardest – some of them have never recovered from that time – and that phrase “back to normal” is a relative term, especially with respect to the arts. What is normal for the arts is not necessarily “normal” for the rest of the world.
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The artists’ lives were hit the hardest – some of them have never recovered from that time – and that phrase “back to normal” is a relative term, especially with respect to the arts. What is normal for the arts is not necessarily “normal” for the rest of the world.
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What is your role in the arts and at the Tribuo Fund? Please tell our readers who you are.
I am Marlene le Roux, CEO of Artscape. At Artscape, we make every effort to look after our employees – with salaries that are commensurate with industry standards, and with pension funds, etc. However, it would be remiss of me not to be supportive in every way possible of the Tribuo Fund. While I, along with my staff, have salaries, the artists, producers, etc who bring their shows to Artscape need our backing. And the struggles are real, not just on the level of the fund but on governmental levels. This is where I can be influential to lobby and to bring the plight of artists to light.
Artists think about the arts. Maybe they don't even think about the arts; they create because they have no choice. However, artists need money to create more art and to pay their bills and to receive funds to keep creating. Please tell me about the mutual relationship between arts and money, and any other factors relevant which were discussed at this conference. Could you elaborate on your specific presentation at this year's Tribuo conference?
The arts and money have a peculiar relationship. People too often think they don’t “need” the arts, forgetting the role it plays in social cohesion and the building of a nation.
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The arts and money have a peculiar relationship. People too often think they don’t “need” the arts, forgetting the role it plays in social cohesion and the building of a nation.
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And, when money gets poured into the arts, many might go: “Why? Why not use that money to build houses, to feed starving people?” My feeling: there is enough money to see to all sectors of society. There is enough to ensure that our people are housed and fed, and have jobs to continue to keep being housed and fed. It is too often the mismanagement of funds that leads to housing and poverty levels being so dire. The arts – often seen as the proverbial “stepchild” – gets given the crumbs, often leaving it as poor as some of our compatriots.
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And, when money gets poured into the arts, many might go: “Why? Why not use that money to build houses, to feed starving people?” My feeling: there is enough money to see to all sectors of society. There is enough to ensure that our people are housed and fed, and have jobs to continue to keep being housed and fed. It is too often the mismanagement of funds that leads to housing and poverty levels being so dire. The arts – often seen as the proverbial “stepchild” – gets given the crumbs, often leaving it as poor as some of our compatriots.
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In short, my presentation at this year’s Tribuo conference focused on that – and specifically how I manage Artscape and where the money gets spent. It focused on the inner workings of Artscape as a governmental institution that actually works – in a way that leaves nobody out in the cold, with 100% clear and transparent audits – and how the upskilling of Artscape employees and the upgrading of the building lead to an inclusive and artistic home for all.
Also read:
Tribuo Conference 2025: an interview with Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni
Tribuo Conference 2025: an interview with Lakin Morgan-Baatjies