The event will bring together industry practitioners, policymakers and artists to take stock of the ARTS in the context of the past, the present and the future. The arts have played a significant role in the formation of South Africa’s national identity, archiving key moments in the country’s history and offering imaginaries for its future.

• Arts as a motive force of history;
• The role of arts and culture in the Sustainable Development Goals, the AU 2063 Agenda and South Africa’s National Development Plan;
• Global dynamics and their impact on the arts;
• Arts for development;
• The 4th Industrial Revolution and implications for the creative economy; and
• The tensions between artistic freedom and freedom of expression.