Dedicated to the celebration and growth of South African arts and culture, the French Institute’s strong relationships with various partners encourages cultural diversity and exchanges between South Africa, France and the rest of the African continent. Our projects range from visual arts to animation, poetry to gaming, and fashion to music. Notable projects in the audiovisual and creative industries have developed long-term partnerships between our respective cultural sectors to exchange knowledge, experience and ideas.

Visual Arts

2025 Gerard Sekoto Award winner completes three-month residency in Paris

South African artist Ndlovukazi Ngilande, winner of the 2025 Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award, recently...

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Literature

Dibukafé brings together conversations on literature, heritage and journalism

Throughout June and July, Dibukafé continued to provide a space for dialogue and cultural exchange,...

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Performing Arts

A Season in Hell / Hillbrow brings Rimbaud to the Market Theatre

A Season in Hell / Hillbrow – Rimbaud Rewritten, a youth-led performance project by the...

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Film and Animation

The European Film Festival is back from 17 to 27 September 2026!

The 13th European Film Festival South Africa (EUFF) is here! Over 10 days across 4 cities,...

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Creative Industries

Wits students explore new approaches to heritage and museum practice

The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and IFAS-Research recently welcomed selected students from the...

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Dibuka Francophone Library

Conversations on ideas, journalism and poetry at Dibukafé

In July, Dibukafé continued to provide a space for public discussion and cultural exchange in...

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Arts and Creative Industries

IFAS and South African partners launch IQOQO: A new interface to enhance Cultural Industries collaboration

During an official visit to South Africa by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ms Catherine Colonna inaugurated the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) revamped campus in […]

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Calls for Applications
Arts and Creative Industries

CALL CLOSED! Applications – Truth Lab 2026

A Franco-German initiative by French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) & Goethe-Institut South Africa...

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Arts and Creative Industries

Call Closed! Futures_Past: Open Call for Applications from Immersive Artist Teams

Deadline: 9 November 2025 The Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi,...

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Arts and Creative Industries

Call closed! Open call for archival and cultural institutions: Bring your archives to life through immersive storytelling

Deadline extended to 26 August 2025! The Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho,...

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Arts and Creative Industries

Call Closed! CrĂ©ation Africa: South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi – Cultural Entrepreneurship Incubators

After a successful first iteration in 2024, Création Africa South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi is back to support...

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Friends of the French Institute

Friends of the French Institute of South Africa

In 2014, former French Ambassador Elisabeth Barbier created the Friends of the French Institute Committee to offer strategic advice to the French Institute of South Africa regarding mainly arts and culture, as well as creative industries and research. The committee meets quarterly with representatives from the French Embassy and the French Institute. Read more about the committee members here.
Key Partners

The French Institute has a range of successful partnerships with educational and research institutions, non-governmental organisations, governmental organisations, cultural organisations and esteemed multinational organisations. We are committed to building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with partners who provide a vital mutual transfer of ideas and support to help us reach our shared cooperation goals between France, South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. Partner with us today.

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Meet the CrĂ©ation Africa Top 15 entrepreneurs! Over the past few months, they have been taking part in a business incubation journey facilitated by UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division, CAPACITI.👏✹ #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
Join leading scholars on the enduring legacy of Frantz Fanon and the continuing relevance of his ideas on colonialism, race, liberation and decolonisation in today's world.
On 29 March 2026, FĂȘte de la Musique was presented in Cape Town for the first time, as part of Bree Street Sundays. Organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the event brought free live music into the public space, transforming Bree Street into an open-air platform for performance and exchange. FĂȘte de la Musique Cape Town was implemented, supported and funded in partnership with Bassline, TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa, the Alliance Française of Cape Town, Young Urbanists through Street Experiment SA, Bridges for Music, the City of Cape Town, Mission for Inner City Cape Town and Jazz in the City.
Jean Spiri, directeur de l'IFAS, s'entretient avec Georges Lory et Daphnée Breytenbach à l'occasion de leur tournée littéraire en Afrique du Sud. Pour plus d'informations sur les événements publics, veuillez consulter le site web de l'IFAS: https://frenchinstitute.org.za/arts-and-creative-industries/literature/french-south-african-literature-conversations-tour-daphnee-breytenbach-georges-lory/.
The Création Africa Top 50 is a true reflection of the depth and diversity of the cultural and creative industries! #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
🎉 Meet the selected Top 50 entrepreneurs for the second edition of CrĂ©ation Africa, from South Africa. Lesotho and Malawi 🎉 Congratulations as they begin a seven-week mentorship journey with UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division CAPACITI. 👏
A conversation exploring the impact of the 2025 funding cuts for the HIV response, especially for at risk and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel will consist of leading experts in the field, both within health research and operating directly on the ground with affected groups.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, this film turns to Lesotho to spotlight artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation initiatives supported by IFAS. Shot across the Mountain Kingdom, it features voices that have helped define the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, a visit to Malawi captured the stories of artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation projects supported by IFAS. From Lilongwe to Blantyre, the film brings together voices that have contributed to the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
Join us for a special talk by Justice Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal, two of the authors of the new book 'Behind Prison Walls'. Their talk will bring together Michel Foucault's reflections on the systems of discipline and South Africa's experience of incarceration, offering an original analysis: how prisons, far from serving as tools of rehabilitation, become instruments of social control and the perpetuation of inequality.
Launched in 2022 under the France 2030 initiative, the ICC Immersion programme supports French entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as they expand into global markets. Implemented in South Africa by Institut français in Paris, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Business France, and Business France South Africa and Southern Africa, the initiative connects French companies with key players in South Africa’s dynamic creative sector. This year’s cohort featured nine innovative CCI companies—Allegria, Atrack (Beam for Music), Agence Culturelle PLUS (Reunion Island), Culturespaces, Fabrik & Moi (Reunion Island), France MusĂ©ums DĂ©veloppement, Jakob + MacFarlane, Memorist, and Sound Birth—representing fields from architecture and immersive technology to museum development, cultural consultancy, and music innovation. Altogether, the South African edition fostered meaningful exchange between French and South African cultural leaders, opening the door to future collaborations across the two countries.  Special thank you to the featured sites: Constitution Hill Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation Spier Wine Farm, TRACE Studios Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct Wesgro Wits Digital Dome Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ----- ICC Immersion is coordinated by the SecrĂ©tariat GĂ©nĂ©ral pour l'Investissement (SGPI) and driven by the Institut Français and Business France, with support from the Banque des territoires, the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The 2025 edition is implemented by IFAS and Business France in Johannesburg.
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