The Policy & Power Lab II

Building on the first Policy & Power Lab, this session turns from frameworks to practice, where governance meets creative agency. It explores how policies are interpreted, challenged, and reimagined through creative work itself. Speakers reflect on the role of artists in shaping AI ethics, on the renewal of publishing and literary institutions, and on new approaches to measuring creative innovation and participation. Through these perspectives, the lab surfaces how policy evolves not only in government documents but in everyday acts of making, advocacy, and research. Together, they consider how authority, accountability, and imagination can coexist in redefining the role of culture in public life today.

Lightning Talks (10 min each)

Pecha Kucha (6min 40 sec each)    

Convenor:  Sinethemba Vitshima — Researcher, South African Cultural Observatory                 

1. Adwoa Ankoma — Director of Policy & Research, Electric South, South Africa  (V) 
   
   Artists at the Centre: African Immersive Voices Shaping AI Futures  
   
   
2. Gerard Ralphs —  Senior Research Manager, Centre for Science, Technology & Innovation Indicators, South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council  
   
   An Innovation Measurement Framework for the South African Cultural & Creative Industries
   
   
3. Sibusiso Mnyanda — Head of Curatorial Research, Victory of The Word, South Africa  (V)
   
   The Importance & Relevance of a Revised National Book Policy in a Changing Publishing Landscape   
   
   
4. Thoriso Dlomo — Customer Care Consultant, Insurance Industry, South Africa (V) 
   
    Harnessing Our Creative Soft Powers: Power, Policies And Institutions
   
   
5. Johanna Mavhungu — PhD Candidate, Digital Knowledge Economy Studies & Lecturer, Cultural Policy & Management, Wits School of Arts, South Africa
   
   Digital Transformation in Audio-visual Media