The Iphulo Drama Festival is bringing together industry giants to empower local artists at its 10th instalment, with Dr John Kani among the legends facilitating one of the festival’s masterclasses.
The flagship cultural celebration, hosted by the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex (MBTC), is returning from February 10 to continue its mission to elevate the performing arts, storytelling and cinematic expression in the Eastern Cape and beyond.
Among the highlights is a series of dynamic masterclasses presented by the John Kani Academy, curated by Penny Morris, that are designed for emerging and established theatre practitioners to deepen their craft in acting, directing and writing.
The masterclass programme includes Kani as the acting facilitator.
Locally-based and internationally acclaimed actor, playwright and director Xabiso Zweni will also be on hand to share his expertise while celebrated novelist, playwright and cultural commentator Zakes Mda will be the writing facilitator.
Together, the facilitators will guide participants through rigorous explorations of performance, storytelling and theatrical vision, grounded in African realities that resonate on global stages.
MBTC chief executive Monde Ngonyama said the John Kani Performing Arts Academy was more than a training platform, it was a living legacy.
“As we mark 10 years of the Iphulo Festival, we are reaffirming our commitment to developing artists who are rooted in excellence, cultural consciousness and fearless creativity.
“These masterclasses place our artists in direct conversation with giants of our theatre tradition, ensuring that knowledge is not only preserved but powerfully reimagined for the future,” Ngonyama said.
In addition to masterclasses, the festival is presenting a two-day Book Fair on February 26 and 27 that will be held at the MBTC.
The Book Fair will bring together a formidable line-up of scholars, authors and intellectuals whose work interrogates history, power and land.
Ngonyama said the programme would form part of the broader Iphulo Drama Festival.
Prof Mark Swilling, the author of 1985: The Langa Massacre, in conversation with Prof Janet Cherry, co-author of The Ending of White Rule in SA, will headline the Book Fair.
Author of The Birth of a Pioneer, Stephen Dondolo, whose work explores leadership, consciousness and transformation as well as Patric Tariq Mellet, author of The Lie of 1652: A Decolonised History of Land, will also be featured at the fair.
Ngonyama said the festival had always been more than just performances.
“The Iphulo Drama Festival is about ideas that unsettle, conversations that heal and stories that reclaim our humanity.
“As we mark 10 years of Iphulo, this Book Fair affirms the theatre complex as a civic space where memory, intellect and imagination meet to shape a more just future,” Ngonyama said.
He said the curtain would fall on the event with a Film Festival on February 28 showcasing a curated selection of local and international films that reflected diverse narratives, creative excellence and cinematic artistry.
The Film Festival is curated by Zolisa Sigwanda, a seasoned film and television practitioner renowned for her work in story conceptualisation, development, scriptwriting and creative consulting.
The Film Festival is powered by Mpuma Kapa TV and presented in association with the Nelson Mandela Bay Film Forum.
Ngonyama said the Iphulo Drama Festival had affirmed the MBTC as a home for fearless storytelling across disciplines.
“Closing the festival with a Film Festival is a deliberate statement, that our stories must travel from stage to screen, from local communities to global audiences.
“Film, like theatre, has the power to shape consciousness, and this programme celebrates the storytellers who are doing exactly that.”
