BASA announces creatives joining next phase of Debut Programme

The programme, an initiative funded by the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture (DSAC), in collaboration with BASA, is aimed at empowering emerging artists in rural and peri-urban areas in South Africa with the business acumen needed to become profitable creative entrepreneurs. It provides artists with skills development, mentorship, and funding opportunities to support their creative ventures.

The programme has now entered a new phase: Hlanganisa. Following a highly successful recruitment drive from September to October 2023, the programme received 2 140 applications from across the country. From this pool, 450 emerging creatives were selected to participate in the Kickstarter Training Phase. Of these, 205 participants have been selected to advance to the Hlanganisa Phase, where they will gain comprehensive entrepreneurial skills essential for launching, building, and sustaining their creative ventures.

“Hlanganisa is the foundation of the Debut Programme,” BASA programmes manager Zanele Madiba said. “This is where ideas become reality. Participants will transform their lean canvases into thriving creative businesses, gaining the skills and confidence to take the creative industry by storm. By the end of this phase, they will not just have business plans, they will have fully realised ventures ready to launch into the market. This phase is about turning dreams into tangible success stories, driving the future of South Africa’s creative economy.”

In the Hlanganisa Phase, participants will be introduced to working sprints, an agile method of testing a service or product. They will continue to learn how to develop a new creative business venture. The participants can look forward to honing their skills in areas such as generation of bootstrapping ideas, business registration, marketing plan creation, setting targets and research and building brand identity.

While not every participant from the Kickstarter Phase will advance to the Hlanganisa Phase, the programme remains committed to supporting all its participants. Those not selected will continue to receive links to valuable online resources to aid their journey as creative entrepreneurs. Additionally, the BASA programmes team will provide an alumni newsletter featuring the latest updates from the arts industry. Ongoing support and skill development will be offered by BASA and DSAC.

BASA CEO Ashraf Johaardien said: “Twenty-seven years later, BASA remains a catalyst for intentional collaborations and is committed to ensuring the relevance and sustainability of the arts in society by offering innovative programmes. The Debut Programme, now in its third iteration, is not merely a series of events or workshops. It is a beacon of possibility, a melting pot where raw talent is shaped into artistry, where dreams are given wings, and aspirations are rooted in reality.”

Click here to view the 205 creatives.