Grooming the next generation of creative industry leaders
- Wits University
Art students participate in an international programme aimed at building sustainable cultural and creative economies.
South Africa's cultural and creative industries play a vital role in the country's economy while shaping its identity and global reputation. According to the 2025 Capstone Report on the Economic Mapping of the Cultural, Creative and Sports Industries, the sector contributed R271 billion to South Africa's GDP in 2023—approximately 4% of the national economy—and supported more than 1.16 million jobs. The creative and cultural industries alone accounted for around 3% of GDP.
As these industries continue to grow, higher education institutions have an important role to play in developing the next generation of leaders who can build resilient, inclusive and sustainable creative economies.
Six master's students from the Department of Cultural Policy and Management (CPM) in the Wits School of Arts participated in I-Week on Sustainability at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Hosted annually by the University's Faculty of Business and Economics, the programme brings together students, academics, industry professionals and civil society leaders to tackle real-world sustainability challenges through collaborative learning.
Representing Wits were Esihle Dandala, Mandisa Buthelezi, Pumzile Manikela, Zilungile Mbombo, Keorapetse Lephogole and S'phokazi Mtselu.
Dr Kgomotso Moshugi, who led the Wits group, says the students were selected because their research aligns closely with the sustainability of South Africa's arts and cultural industries.
足球竞彩app排名 research explores themes including the sustainability of creative work, the value of cultural labour, persistent inequalities within the sector, and policy interventions that can strengthen creative economies and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
He further added that the Department's endeavours and programmes "reflects the School of Arts' commitment to preparing students and practitioners for leadership and management roles that respond to both historical and contemporary challenges while contributing to a more sustainable future for the creation, consumption and management of the arts."
Future custodians
Sharing her views, Master's student Mandisa Buthelezi says the conference provided valuable insight into how sustainability is understood and implemented across different institutional and cultural contexts.
"A key reflection was that while many frameworks are well structured and policy-driven, particularly in Global North settings, their effectiveness is limited without broader societal awareness and cultural alignment."
She says one of the most significant lessons was recognising the different, yet complementary, approaches taken by countries in the Global North and Global South.
"In many Global South contexts, sustainability is embedded in everyday practices, informed by traditional knowledge and local systems of care rather than formal strategies. This highlighted an opportunity to move beyond comparison towards exchange, where diverse approaches can inform one another. Sustainability can therefore be reframed as a collective, culturally grounded process rooted in shared responsibility and co-creation."
Building global partnerships
Beyond international learning opportunities, the Department of Cultural Policy and Management continues to strengthen research, teaching and professional practice through strategic partnerships with cultural practitioners, policymakers and academic institutions. Partnerships include the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO), the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE), the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Creative Economies Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), Peking University in China and several other institutions across the Global South and Global North.
As South Africa's creative economy continues to expand, initiatives such as I-Week on Sustainability equip emerging cultural leaders with the knowledge, networks and global perspective needed to strengthen the sector. By investing in management, policy, leadership and entrepreneurship, Wits is helping ensure that creativity remains not only a cultural asset, but also a key driver of economic and social development.