Digital creativity in focus: French-South African collaborations at Fak’ugesi Festival 2025

From 7 to 12 October, the Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival will spotlight collaborations in artificial intelligence and immersive storytelling, with support from the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS).

French creative AI specialist Pierre Saal, founder of Elessar Labs, will lead two sessions at the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, as part of Fak’ugesiPRO. On 8 October, his workshop How to Choose and Use the Best Artificial Intelligence Tools on the Market to Create Content will guide participants in assembling effective toolkits and integrating AI into creative workflows. On 9 October, The AI Masterclass will demonstrate generative AI from concept to production, focusing on prompts, strategies, and workflows. Sessions are invitation-only, but those interested can email hello@fakugesi.co.za for more information (spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis).

These sessions form part of Artificial Intelligence: A New Frontier for the Audiovisual Sector, a France–South Africa exchange series supported by the Institut français in Paris and IFAS. The programme launched during AVIJOZI in September and continues with a gaming-centred module in December.

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Another highlight at this year’s festival is the international premiere of Kwasukasukela (‘In the Beginning’), a 360° installation by South African poet Xabiso Vili and interdisciplinary artist Inka Kendzia. Blending poetry, animation, AI, and African mythology, the work reimagines stories about creation as an immersive encounter with ancestral knowledge and healing. First presented at the Forum Création Africa in Paris, Kwasukasukela is now brought to Johannesburg audiences for the first time in dome format at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome.

The premiere forms part of Immersive Africa: Bridging Continents Through Digital Creativity, a two-year EUNIC Spaces of Culture project led by Tshimologong with IFAS, Goethe-Institut, Pro Helvetia, the Austrian Embassy, and the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa.

More information on the Fak’ugesi Festival and ticket options available here.