Fak'ugesi

Calling Africa’s boldest, brightest, and most boundary-pushing creative minds! The 2026 Fak’ugesi Awards are officially OPEN for submissions! This is your chance to showcase your work on a global stage and claim your spot among Africa’s digital innovation trailblazers. Categories: > Immersive Media > Video Games > Animation > Digital Art > Design > Music Deadline: 31 May 2026, 23:59 Don’t sleep on this, put your best foot forward and become a Fak’ugesi Award winner! Click the link in our bio to SUBMIT NOW!!!!

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with GOROWA STUDIOS! The Cape Town–based, full-service animation studio behind our Fak’ugesi Festival 2025 trailer brings African roots, global vision, and unmatched expertise in 2D and 3D animation. Founded by a dynamic brother-sister duo, Gorowa creates worlds with precision, creativity, and heart - and this collaboration injects that same energy straight into the spirit of #PowerSurge. Watch the trailer now and feel the energy pulsating. 🎟 Tickets from R40–R495. Day 5 is FREE register now to secure your spot. Plug in. Power up. Be part of the surge. Visit www.fakugesi.co.za CREDITS Director: Tino Gorowa @tg_ultimate Line producer: Ruva Gorowa Environment Layouts & design:Thorne Ndlovu, Sakhile Motha @sk.stylus Background painting: CY-Calwick Moloto @10k_cy Character reDesigns & Asset designs: Botlhale Manana artdumpbybo 2D character Animation: Immanuel Pirikisi @sonmadmax , Joshua Pennikens @pennikenjoshua ,Tino Gorowa. @tg_ultimate 2D Sfx animation: Tino Gorowa , Thorne Ndlovu, Immanuel Pirikisi, Clean up: Tino Gorowa, Bothlale Manana Comp: Thorne Ndlovu Music by: Dan Canary @odthekreative & Temba Nobaxa @khirosunds Sound design: Dan Canary #WitsForGood #WitsInnovation #TshimologongTheFuture #Fakugesi2025 #PowerSurge #AfricanInnovation #Animation #GorowaStudios

The South African premiere of Kancícà at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome was nothing short of breathtaking. An immersive dome experience like no other tracing the journey of Queen Na Agontimé across the Atlantic through stunning visuals, vodun spirituality, and living cultural memory. This is storytelling at its most powerful. A world-class work, born from collaboration between Benin, Brazil, and France and it's right here in Johannesburg. Kancícà is still showing at the Wits Digital Dome alongside Kwasukasukela, a beautifully crafted South African creation myth. Together, they make for an unforgettable 60-minute experience. Kancícà will be screening from the 25th of April, don't miss out! Book your tickets using the Link In Bio. #Kancica #ImmersiveAfrica #WitsDigitalDome #Fakugesi #SouthAfrica #Johannesburg #ImmersiveArt #AfricanStorytelling #AfricaEurope #MustSee

Now on the Three Fields blog: Soil, Spice, and Sound, a blog post exploring food migration, international collaboration, and the journey of cinnamon by Samukelisiwe Dube (@samukelisiwe_siphesihle ). “When I first entered the Three Fields project, I thought I was coming in with a clear understanding of what food meant in my practice. I garden. I make paper from plant fibres. I print with organic materials. I learned from the Black women in my family that food is never just food, that it is care, survival, memory, and sometimes resistance. But this project stretched that understanding...” Available to read now - link in our bio.

IT’S OFFICIAL! Today we launched the Tshimologong Gamification Programme in partnership with GIZ. We’re training 100 unemployed SA youth in the skills that actually matter for the 2026 digital economy. Why Gamification? It’s the secret sauce behind the world’s most successful apps and platforms. By mastering UX and Technical Implementation, our students are becoming highly employable creators. We’ve hit our goal of 60% young women in this cohort. We’re not just building skills; we’re building a more equitable tech landscape in South Africa. Huge thanks to GIZ for the partnership. Together, we’re tackling the skills gap and empowering the next generation of digital leaders. Watch this space! @wits__university #Tshimologong #DigitalSkills #GIZ #DS4JI-IIGamificationTraining

Advancing the African Gaming Ecosystem at Africa Games Week 2025 Members of our team recently represented our gaming hub during a productive three days at Africa Games Week in Cape Town. The focus was on operational management and supporting the next generation of African developers. Key highlights from the event included: - Exhibition Management - Strategic Engagement - Knowledge Acquisition - Advocacy By documenting these interactions and capturing key moments, we are well-positioned to integrate these insights into our future strategy. I look forward to following up with the industry professionals met during the week. #AfricaGamesWeek #GameDevelopment #TechInnovation #SMME #CapeTown

Throwback to an unforgettable festival journey with our amazing partners! Just a month ago, the Dala Khona arcade was jam‑packed with energy and that vibe carried straight into Train the Trainer, where we showcased the brilliant Fak’ugesi app loaded with gamification features. 🎮🔥 But that was only the beginning. In November, we proudly hosted a successful Train the Trainer workshop in Soweto with the UNICEF Game Coalition, GFC, SpaceSalad, and Jabulani Rlabs. Swipe for throwbacks, and stay tuned more milestones are on the way! #Fakugesi #Gamification #UNICEFGameCoalition #TrainTheTrainer #africaninnovation

Calling all Developers, Designers, and Creatives. Are you passionate about harnessing technology to craft truly engaging experiences? This is the chance to put your skills to work. We are dedicated to fostering diversity and strongly encourage applications from women. Ready to create? Apply Today! (Link in Bio) Application Deadline: Friday, 19 December 2025 #gizsouthafrica #creatives#gamification #gamer #gaming #apply #opportunity

We are delighted to share the success of the three-day Train-the-Trainer workshop, held from 13 to 15 November 2025 at the Jabulani Safehouse in Soweto. This initiative brought together a dynamic group of emerging creators and community leaders, focusing on two critical areas: technical game development proficiency and robust facilitation capabilities. Under the theme, 'Your Toolbox for Tomorrow', participants engaged in practical sessions using Construct 3 to explore game design fundamentals and develop their own Game Jam prototypes. We extend our congratulations to the winners who received prizes including an ASUS gaming laptop, gaming peripherals, and tickets to the rAge Expo. This programme underscores the power of creative education to amplify community talent and inspire the next generation of digital professionals. We are grateful for the essential collaboration with @spacesaladza , the @gautengfilmcommission , @rlabsza , and @unicef_southafrica , whose partnership ensured a rich and transformative learning environment. #ProfessionalDevelopment #DigitalSkills #Training #GameDevelopment #Soweto #Leadership #Partnership #EdTech

Hosted at the Tshimologong Precinct, the S+T+ARTS AI Afropean Intelligence Bootacamp brought together ten African artists and international collaborators to explore how AI can be reimagined through African perspective. The week long bootcamp led into the Entropy Symposium, a public event unpacking key themes such as sustainability, bias, caution and context through thought provoking talks and discussions featuring speakers like Osmic Menoe, Stephanie Muller, and Koketso Masuluke. @arselectronica @startseu @wits__university

[DAY 5 - CLOSING] Afrique Créative @fakugesi Festival 2025⚡️ EN| Friday marked the last day of our programme in Johannesburg! We started with an evaluation workshop to gather feedback and ideas for future editions, while also filming short interviews with our 15 creative leaders. The day ended with a joyful closing dinner and diploma ceremony: certificates, heartfelt speeches, delicious food, amapiano, and some dancing! 👏Congratulations to all 15 entrepreneurs for completing this third edition with flying colors! 🙏 Huge thanks to Agence Française de Développement and our AC consortium partners for making this edition a success and special thanks to Fak'ugesi Festival for making our experience in Joburg truly unforgettable. ***** FR| Vendredi marquait le dernier jour de notre programme à Johannesburg ! Nous avons commencé par un atelier d'évaluation pour rassembler les retours des participants et leurs idées pour les prochaines éditions, tout en filmant de courtes interviews avec nos 15 leaders créatifs. La journée s'est terminée par un superbe dîner et la remise des diplômes aux entrepreneurs sur fond d'amapiano et avec quelques pas de danse ! 👏Félicitations aux 15 entrepreneurs qui ont brillamment terminé cette troisième édition ! 🙏 Un grand merci à l'Agence Française de Développement et nos partenaires de consortium pour avoir fait de cette édition un succès, et tout particulièrement au Fak'ugesi Festival pour avoir rendu notre expérience à Johannesburg inoubliable. #AfriqueCreative #Fakugesi2025 #PowerSurge #CreativeEntrepreneurs #AfricanInnovation @afd_france x @africalia.belgium x @bayimba_ug x @investisseurs_et_partenaires x @zhuculture x @tshimologongprecinct @archivart_gallery @cmcooperative_ @dcx_studio @dobiison @freehandstudioske @_funkefashionhouse_ @instant2viestudio @jiwe.io @kayfogames @kies_ker_imagination @lesbonnesondes_podcasts @sartoriagaecy @skylinemediaug @studiosankara @wearghana

[DAY 4 - TALKS & JOZI TOUR] Afrique Créative @fakugesi 2025 EN | Thursday was an intense day for the cohort, featuring two insightful panel discussions in the morning, a full Jozi Tour in the afternoon, and an immersive evening experience during the official Festival Opening. ***** FR | Jeudi a été une journée intense pour la cohorte AC3, avec deux tables rondes enrichissantes le matin, une visite complète de Jozi l'après-midi et une expérience immersive en soirée lors de l'ouverture officielle du festival ! @afd_france @africalia.belgium @bayimba_ug @investisseurs_et_partenaires @zhuculture @tshimologongprecinct @archivart_gallery @cmcooperative_ @dcx_studio @dobiison @freehandstudioske @_funkefashionhouse_ @instant2viestudio @jiwe.io @kayfogames @kies_ker_imagination @lesbonnesondes_podcasts @sartoriagaecy @skylinemediaug @studiosankara @wearghana