From 6 to 16 September, the Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival will aim to transform Johannesburg and celebration of technology, creativity, collaboration and innovation from across the African continent.

This year's theme is ‘brave tech hearts beat as one’, with the 2017 festival centred on pioneering uniquely African technology and creativity in a 10 day programme to showcase the value of innovative collaboration, according to the organisers.

The Tshimologong Precinct, located at 47 Juta Street in Braamfontein, will be at the heart of festivities and include opportunities for attendees to meet, play and share at a variety of seminars, talks, exhibitions, workshops, hack-a-thons, music performances, film screenings, artist exhibitions, game showcases, innovation riots and much more.

Now in its fourth year, Fak’ugesi was originally founded by Prof. Christo Doherty and Tegan Bristow from Wits Digital Arts, together with Prof. Barry Dwolatzky from the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE). From the isiZulu term meaning “add power” or “put on the electricity”, Fak’ugesi acts as a platform that brings together diverse digital and technology sectors to collaborate and share skills in digital media and technology innovation. 

2017 Festival Director, Tegan Bristow, says this year’s Fak’ugesi Festival promises to deliver an exceptional line up geared towards bringing tech innovation to people in a fun, accessible and playful way. “Some incredible highlights at this year’s festival will include the Fak’ugesi Conference, the hugely popular Making Weekend, as well as our annual Market Hack event at the Nieghbourgoods Market in Braamfontein. We’re also thrilled to announce an exciting new curatorial partnership titled Fak’ugesi Beats, a beats, music and technology focus curated by We Heart Beat, who will go on to lead festival finale Beats Bloc Party as part of their larger program.”

Some of the key events for the Fak’ugesi Festival include:

8 September: Digital Africa Exhibition Opening & Festival Launch

8 to 10 September: Making Weekend, a free workshop programme to promote and celebrate skills development and exchange in the digital and technological space, catering to a variety of ages and experience levels. This will include a special focus on community driven urban design via Mixed Reality and Minecraft with Ericsson, UN Habitat and the City of Johannesburg.

11 to 13 September: Daring Curating, International Forum for Art and Technology in Africa, drawing the festival’s theme of bravery and collaboration, this forum brings together practitioners at all levels of professional experience to debate  issues around curating Art and Technology in Africa.

13 to 16 September: A MAZE, welcomes African and international game developers, digital artists, forward thinkers, entrepreneurs, and digital activists to South Africa to exchange tools, skills, and ideas in the fields of independent games and playful media.

14 September: Fak’ugesi Conference, this unmissable one-day event will highlight the important conversations on the role of collaboration and interdisciplinary practice for creativity, technology and innovation in Africa.        

16 September: Fak’ugesi Beats Bloc Party, curated by We Heart Beat and featuring ColabNowNow by British Council ConnectZA together with Canada 150.