IFAS and IFAS-Research celebrate 30 years of cultural dialogue and creativity

In 2025, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and IFAS-Research mark 30 years of cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and academic cooperation between France and South(ern) Africa. Since the official inauguration on 12 May 1995, both entities have served as dynamic platforms for artists, researchers, and institutions to connect, collaborate, and create. 

The story began in the early 1990s with a bold vision: to create a space where French, French-speaking, and South(ern) African artists and academics could meet, share ideas, and explore the role of creativity in society. A distinguished launch committee—including Desmond Tutu, Nadine Gordimer, and André P. Brink—helped shape the project, which found its first home in Newtown, Johannesburg. With its vibrant cultural energy and deep historical roots in the anti-apartheid movement, Newtown provided the perfect backdrop for this new chapter of cultural cooperation. 

In 2010, IFAS and IFAS-Research moved to Braamfontein, marking a new chapter in their evolution—bringing artistic and research missions under one roof in a neighbourhood that continues to grow as a hub for innovation and collaboration. 

Over the past three decades, IFAS and IFAS-Research have supported more than 70 projects annually across diverse fields including literature, music, fashion, visual and performing arts, film, animation, gaming, and research in the social sciences and the humanities. Flagship events such as the Fête de la Musique and the Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award have helped nurture emerging talent and foster lasting international partnerships. 

IFAS-Research, now under the tutelage of the French ministry and Foreign Affairs and the French national centre for scientific research, has played a particularly important role in advancing humanities and social sciences in Southern Africa, strengthening academic networks and providing resources for scholars working in, and on Southern Africa. 

To mark this milestone year, IFAS and IFAS-Research will host a series of events throughout 2025, including a celebratory event, and a commemorative video series produced by filmmaker Adam Heyns. 

Watch the 16-minute documentary film here:

On Tuesday, 14 October 2025, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) launched its 30th anniversary publication and accompanying photo exhibition at Dibukafé in Braamfontein, marking three decades of cultural collaboration, dialogue, and creativity between France and South Africa. The evening brought together artists, partners, and the Friends of IFAS to celebrate thirty years of artistic exchange and innovation.

Finally, IFAS commissioned Glorinah Khutso Mabaso, an alumna of Création Africa South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, to create a commemorative pattern marking thirty years of cultural exchange. Her design draws on Pedi and Nguni visual traditions, translated into a contemporary geometric composition that reflects both place and heritage. Subtle letterforms referencing France and South Africa are interwoven into the structure of the pattern, complemented by the French national colours to create a clear visual link between the two countries. Read more about her design process here.