Over 250 leaders from across the globe will converge in Cape Town next week for the 2025 South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) International Conference, hosted by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) under the theme “Creative & Sports Economy Futures: Perspectives, Policies, and Practices for Tomorrow.”
The two-day gathering, taking place from 4–5 November 2025 at DHL Stadium, will bring together academics, policymakers, creative professionals, and industry leaders to explore critical questions shaping the future of creativity in an era defined by artificial intelligence, digital disruption, and rapid cultural transformation.
SACO Executive Director Unathi Lutshaba said the conference could not be more timely:
“As we stand at the intersection of technological disruption, shifting global power dynamics, and unprecedented creative innovation, this conference will bring the brightest minds together to envision tomorrow’s creative and sports economies from an African perspective.”
Since its establishment in 2015, SACO, often described as a “Stats SA for the cultural and sports economy,” has played a pivotal role in mapping the contribution of the creative and sports sectors to South Africa’s GDP, which currently stands at around 3.9%, employing more than one million people nationwide.
Uniting Sports and Creativity
This year’s conference expands SACO’s focus to include the sports economy, following the department’s 2023 decision to recognise sports as a cultural force with significant creative and economic impact.
DSAC Director-General Dr. Cynthia Khumalo emphasised this link:
“Sport is national culture. It is collective creativity. It is the golden economy. Sports drive broadcasting, fashion, entertainment, and digital media, contributing about 1% to GDP. We cannot talk about culture and creativity without sport.”
A special panel on “At the Intersection of Sport, Arts, and Culture” will headline Day One, exploring how play, performance, and national identity converge in the creative economy.
African Voices at the Centre of Global Debate
With South Africa holding the G20 Presidency in 2025, the SACO conference is positioned as a defining platform for African leadership in global creative economy discourse.
“For too long, the future of creativity has been debated through Western frameworks,” Dr. Khumalo added. “Hosting this conversation on African soil allows us to centre African experiences, innovations, and solutions.”
The programme includes eleven thematic tracks covering AI collaboration in creativity, copyright evolution, digital labour, creative entrepreneurship, and equitable policy models for the next decade.
Why Cape Town? Why DHL Stadium?
The DHL Stadium, an iconic symbol of sport, culture, and global events, was chosen as the venue for its symbolic and practical resonance. “It represents exactly what we’re discussing,” said Ms. Lutshaba. “The intersection of sport, culture, creativity, and economic impact.”
Cape Town, one of Africa’s most vibrant cultural capitals, will serve as the backdrop for exploring inclusive and sustainable creative economies across the continent.
Programme Highlights
• Keynote Address: The Future of Creative Economies
• Panel Discussions: The Changing Economics of Creativity; Between Human and Machine: Navigating Creative Tech Futures
• Day Two Tracks: Creative Labour and Wellbeing, Gig Economy, Digital Piracy, and Economic Music Migrancy
• Interactive Sessions: PechaKucha presentations, policy labs, and live podcasting sessions
About SACO
A project of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, SACO operates as South Africa’s national research centre for cultural and creative industries data and insights. Hosted by Nelson Mandela University in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Rhodes University, it provides critical evidence for national planning and policy implementation under the Creative and Cultural Industries Masterplan.