Fak’Ugesi creates playground for Jozi’s digital boffins

22 August 2016

 

For two weeks the Tshimologong Innovation Hub in Braamfontein will be a hive of activity as Johannesburg digital arts enthusiasts gather to play and share ideas through a series of seminars, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, performances, installations, technological demonstrations, pitches and parties under the banner of the Fak’Ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival.

 

The annual festival is a partnership between Wits University’s School of Arts and the City of Johannesburg.

Cultural infusion in the arts space, urban regeneration and digital innovation are the main themes for this year’s festival, which was launched on Friday August 19 and will run until Saturday September 3.

Mahmood Sonday, of the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Economic Development, said the festival would turn the precinct into “a place of inclusion and innovation”.

“This is really about embracing African innovation and making it accessible. It’s about marrying culture and digital art. The City is saying through this that you can begin to bridge the digital divide. People can, for instance, come in and build digital toys. We also want to see entrepreneurs in the digital world come in and showcase their innovations,” said Sonday.

He added that #Hack.Jozi Challenge winners and finalists would be at the festival to showcase their products.

The #Hack.Jozi Challenge is an annual boot camp for start-up digital entrepreneurs whose aim is to contribute to fostering skills and innovation in the broad area of digital technology. The 2016 challenge was won by Neo Hutiri, founder of Technovera, who pocketed the R1-million first prize. The first runner-up was a two-man team of Abed Tau and Dylan Hyslop of Tuta-Me, while the second runner-up was Lomile Mokoka, founder of the building plan apps platform eSubmit.

The festival also expects graduates and participants of the City of Johannesburg’s Educating Digital Interns (COJEDI) programme to take part.  COJEDI seeks to introduce young people to innovation in the modern age as part of the foundation phase of developing Johannesburg as a Smart City. The City has already trained 400 COJEDI interns.

Festival Director Tigan Bristow said he was hoping that the event would achieve its main goal of making technology accessible.

“It will be done in a fun and creative way. The idea is to put technology in the hearts of young people. All our workshops are free. We will do 3D printing, all things technology, making robots, electronics and other exciting stuff. We do take it out of the venue as you’ll see on the programme. For two days the festival will be taken to Soweto. It’s really all about participation,” said Bristow.

Aimed primarily at the youth, programmers, artists, digital entrepreneurs, gamers, musicians, 3D makers and hackers, the festival is an opportunity for anyone wanting access to digital innovation.