By: The Division of Communications & Advancement
Rhodes University deepens its long-standing relationship with the National Arts Festival (NAF) this year with a powerful offering that fuses research, pedagogy, and performance. With Makhanda as its canvas, Rhodes University continues to shape the national cultural conversation through bold, locally-rooted, and globally-relevant work.
At the heart of the 2025 programme is a strong thread of historical reflection and social justice. A Childhood in Chalk, created by Rhodes University Drama and Education departments, draws from the school boycotts in Fingo Village (1975–1985). It places childhood memory against the stark backdrop of political resistance, showing how ordinary lives were upended in extraordinary times. Educators Thembela Madliki and Phemelo Hellemann bring both academic rigour and emotional insight to this narrative.
Storytelling takes a different but no less urgent form in Umbhobho – The Red Pipe, an Empatheatre production built from true stories and designed within the framework of Life Orientation education. Rhodes University Master’s student Siphosethu Mankai threads real-life accounts into a seamless dramatic arc, tackling self-development and identity with honesty and theatrical precision.
The interplay between art and science also finds form in Layers and Light, an experimental natural dye and photography exhibition by Ingrid Schudel, displayed at the Old Gaol on Somerset Street (now Hand Made Coffees). Her work challenges viewers to sit with entropy and order, and to reflect on the limits of knowledge in the face of ecological mystery. Drawing on her environmental education research, Schudel’s pieces are as much inquiry as they are art. The Rhodes University Fine Art Department will also be displaying their work at the main Art School building, demonstrating how they empower students by developing their creative and intellectual potential.
This year’s Festival also makes space for public dialogue and political engagement. The Impact and Influence of Steve Biko on Creative Arts Activism invites reflection on the philosophical grounding of Black Consciousness in contemporary artistic practice. Led by Rhodes University alumnus Sanele kaNtshingana, the conversation centres cultural activism as a living, evolving force.
Rhodes Music Radio (RMR 89.7 FM) collaborates with The Black Power Station in Tuning into Creativity: The Interplay of Radio and The Arts, where station manager Unathi Koboka moderates a lively exchange on how broadcast and visual art feed one another. The conversation unpacks how cultural production creates economic, personal, and political resonance in a community.
Performance art takes a sharply personal turn in Emotional Black Male, a one-man comedy by Thumamna "Uncool Tea" Sibhozo. A celebrated voice on RMR, Sibhozo dissects toxic masculinity and emotional trauma with humour, vulnerability, and incisive wit. His previous work at the Festival earned critical acclaim, and his return marks a significant moment in the continuing evolution of Makhanda’s young creatives.
Music plays a central role in Rhodes University’s contribution to the Festival. Echoes Across Continents, a recital by PhD candidate Belinda de Villiers, journeys from Europe to Africa, while Gedichte der Seele, part of Spiritfest, offers a meditative Lieder performance by Rhodes University lecturers Devon Florence and Garreth Robertson. Both recitals remind audiences of the enduring emotional reach of classical music.
Rhodes University also makes a strong statement in youth and community engagement. Butterfly Heart/Serurubele, a production led by Drama Department staff, opens a vital space for children and adults to confront grief and healing together. With themes of loss, memory, and recovery, the work connects deeply with families and schools in the region.
Emerging voices from the University’s postgraduate programmes take centre stage in new plays such as Wounds and The Dinner, tackling themes of gender-based violence and intimate relationships with clarity and force. These works not only showcase the talent of Rhodes University students, but also reflect their commitment to creative research that interrogates power and vulnerability.
The Eastern Cape Literature Festival, which opens during the Festival, features Rhodes University alumna Unathi Nkayi in conversation with literary legends Dr John Kani and Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha. The event brings literature, music, and performance into dialogue, framing storytelling as a powerful political and cultural force.
For more than 120 years, Rhodes University has embedded its academic excellence in the life of Makhanda. The 2025 NAF reaffirms that legacy – one that values art as a site of research, protest, memory, and imagination. This year’s offering asks: What does it mean to learn, teach, and create in a city so steeped in contradiction and beauty?
Visit NAF 2025 Festival Programme for full details. #RUatNAF2025 #WhereLeadersLearn