This session spotlights innovative approaches to equity, diversity, and inclusion, foregrounding the soft power of subjectivities — the idea that lived experience, cultural knowledge, and collective identity can act as powerful agents of change. Speakers will examine how underserved and overlooked perspectives — from d/Deaf audiences and women arts managers to youth subcultures — can disrupt systemic barriers, reframing them as catalysts for transformation. Through case studies spanning media, music, dance, and community enterprise, the session demonstrates how embracing diverse subjectivities can drive authentic representation, equitable access, and new models for empowerment.
Presentations (15 min each)
Convenor: Yvette Hardie — Honorary President, ASSITEJ, South Africa
- Dr Andrea Vonny Lee — Founder & CEO, Cultural Links Global Education Institute / Laney College- CA, United States & Thabang Queench — Program Director, EziNgcanjini Project
Dlala Pantsula!: Intersections of Resistance, Cultural Pedagogy & Africa’s Creative Futures
- Dr Akhona Ndzuta — Head of Department & Lecturer, Department of Cultural Policy & Management, Wits School of Arts, South Africa & Ofentse Montshiwa — Founder & Creative Director, Mjojo Finance Play (MJP), South Africa
An Invisible Visibility: Contesting The Absence Of Female Arts Managers In South African Music Business Discourse
- Vicki Fourie — Independent Writer & Filmmaker, South Africa
A Forgotten Audience: Responses of d/Deaf Audiences to Films Depicting d/Deafness
- Yvette Hardie — Honorary President, ASSITEJ, South Africa
Arts4Youth And The Social Employment Fund
- Moeletsi Ntshimane — Founding Director, MaSechaba Cultural Village & Institute, South Africa (V)
Building Inclusive Pathways for African Creative Economies: The MaSechaba Model of Cultural Innovation and Empowerment
Q&A
