Where imagination takes centre stage!

ASSITEJ South Africa brings you the country’s only international festival for children, youth and families at the Market Theatre.

Since its origins in hosting the ASSITEJ World Congress in 2017, the Cradle of Creativity festival has become a major platform for artistic excellence, international collaboration, audience development and professional exchange, showcasing the very best work from South Africa, across Africa and around the world.

“Children and young people in South Africa seldom have the opportunity to experience international theatre and performing arts of this scale,” says Yvette Hardie, Director of ASSITEJ South Africa. “Cradle of Creativity is about bringing the world to children, while showcasing the creativity and stories of South Africa to the world.”

The festival runs from 31 August to 6 September 2026 at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg and takes place in the 50th anniversary year of the 1976 Soweto Uprisings. Inspired by the courage, creativity and activism of young people, the festival celebrates the power of youth to question boundaries, imagine alternatives and shape a more just future. It also honours the rich indigenous heritage of the continent, creating space for local voices to stand alongside artists from across Africa and beyond.

This year’s festival will present 22 productions in theatre, dance, circus and interdisciplinary performance coming from 10 countries, reaching around 8,000 audience members, aged from one year old through to adulthood.

Performances for the youngest audiences include Eyecatchers by De Stilte from the Netherlands, a sensory dance work for children aged one and older, featuring movement, music and unusual instruments. The production is supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy. South Africa’s award-winning Grommels, for ages two and older, follows the last two colours in a grey world and was named Best Children’s Theatre at the 2025 Kanna Awards, in addition to receiving an Ovation Award at the 2025 National Arts Festival.

Also for audiences aged two and older, The Young Scientist presents children as capable thinkers who can respond to environmental destruction, species extinction and animal abuse. The Boy and the Ball, a non-verbal production from Australia aimed at four-year-olds, uses simple objects and theatrical illusion to tell a gentle story about shyness, friendship and connection.

For children aged 5-12 and their families, South Africa’s The Forest combines live dance, animation and audience participation in a story inspired by Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka’s Forest Song. The production explores nature, imagination, love and resilience, reminding audiences of the importance of protecting their relationship with the natural world.

Children aged seven and older can experience productions from Ghana, Zimbabwe Rwanda, Germany and South Africa.

Gizo-Gizo! The Musical, from Ghana, combines traditional and contemporary music, dance and storytelling in the tale of a selfish spider who pollutes a lagoon. Zimbabwe’s The Painted Kite explores friendship, bullying and self-discovery through the magical journey of three children and a kite brought to life. South Africa’s Serurubele/Butterfly Heart offers a sensitive, child-centred exploration of friendship, grief, and loss, as told by Lalu Mokuku.

IreOluwa, a dazzling musical from Amandla Danca Teatro (Northern Cape), weaves together music and dance from Yoruba and Khwe Xam (Khoi San) cultures. Golden Memories, from Circus Zambia, combines circus, physical theatre, music and storytelling in a journey through childhood memories, imagination and personal growth.

Dimpho and the Catfish explores adolescence, online choices and the evolving relationship between a mother and daughter in a technology-driven world. Leah, from Nigeria, reimagines the story of Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by Boko Haram in 2018, through a two-woman production combining storytelling, music and Northern Nigerian humour.

Talking About Silence, created by Ishyo Arts Centre in Rwanda and Helios Theatre in Germany, uses personal stories, songs and melodies to examine silence within families, communities and histories. It explores what is spoken and left unspoken, and the different ways silence can shape personal and collective experience. The production is supported by the Goethe-Institut.

Older children and teenagers can engage with several productions exploring youth agency, history, trauma, civic responsibility and issues relevant in contemporary South Africa.

Skin We Are In, based on the book by Dr Sindiwe Magona and Professor Nina Jablonski and adapted for the stage by Omphile Molusi, supports conversations around race, belonging and shared humanity, through storytelling, music and audience interaction. Both Uganda’s The Snake Around Baba’s Waist and South Africa’s RooiLug, confront the lasting effects of childhood traumas in their respective contexts.

For audiences aged 14 and older, S.O.N.D.A. uses satire, humour and sharp social commentary to examine South Africa’s political landscape and invite reflection on civic responsibility. A Season of Hell explores youthful rebellion and the contradictions of contemporary Johannesburg, as a space of struggle and renewal. Letters From Tomorrow examines reflection, regret, and redemption in the not-so-new South Africa. It questions reconciliation and challenges what we think we know about truth.

The festival is expected to reach around 8000 audience members. Approximately 300 young artists and cultural practitioners will participate in workshops and professional exchanges designed to strengthen South Africa’s creative industries and build lasting international partnerships. These include workshops on creating theatre for young audiences that engages with difficult social issues and developing work for very young (0-6 years).

The festival affirms that children and young people are not simply audiences of the future, but vital audiences today, deserving of world-class artistic experiences wherever they live.

The Cradle of Creativity Festival is supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Department of Basic Education, the Market Theatre Foundation, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Performing Arts Fund NL, the Northern Cape Theatre, the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council, DG Murray Trust and the Buz Hive.

The festival is also presented “with the support of the Goethe-Institut and Expertise France, in partnership with Institut français, within the framework of the Connect & Create programme funded by the European Union”.

FESTIVAL DETAILS
www.cradleofcreativity.com

Cradle of Creativity Festival
Market Theatre, Johannesburg, Gauteng
John Kani Theatre, Barney Simon Theatre, Ramoloa Makhene Theatre
31 August to 6 September 2026

Cradle of Creativity On Tour, Northern Cape
Northern Cape Theatre
24 -28 August 2026

TICKET PRICES
Adults: R180
Children: R150
Four people attending one production: R400
Block booking for 10 or more people: R85 per person
Block booking for 10 or more people attending two productions: R120 per person

For the full programme and age recommendations: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bqm0rmhVDc6st7RNPPortGEqMtq2PYGO/view?usp=drive_link

For bookings, go to Webtickets.

To sponsor children to attend the festival, go to
Backabuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/the-imagine-nation

OR

GivenGain: https://www.givengain.com/campaign/take-a-child-to-the-theatre-today-campaign-14163

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Kwanele Finch Thusi
Social Media Officer
ASSITEJ South Africa
kwanele@assitej.org.za

Yvette Hardie
director@assitej.org.za
082 859 5635
ASSITEJ SA
http://www.assitej.org.za