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The Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival is set to begin this weekend (August 19) in South Africa, showcasing African digital arts, and the role women play in growing the sector.

Taking the theme of “Afro Tech Riot”, the event will be held at the Tshimologong Precinct in Braamfontein, from August 19 until September 3.

The festival hopes to show how digital art and innovation is becoming more mainstream across Africa, and to highlight the important role women play in the digital arts space.

“The successful engagement of arts, culture, creativity and technology by women is inspiring, and worthy of a spotlight at this year’s Fak’ugesi festival,” says organiser Tegan Bristow.

The festival will host a number of speakers and sessions aimed at showing the breadth of the possibilities available through the combination of culture and technology.

For example, Janine Johnston, national coordinator of the Maker Library Network in South Africa is partnering with the British Council to offer a series of free maker workshops; Kerry Friend, executive creative director at Isobar, is working with teams of musicians and technologists for the Festival’s “Future Sounds” project; and Thato Noinyane, project manager at British Council Connect ZA, is organising the Festival’s Market Hack and Soweto Pop Up projects.

In addition, Fak’ugesi has partnered Women in Tech ZA to host a dedicated networking session on the evening of the August 25.

“We are both excited and honoured to feature these collaborations. The festival aims to be a location for both development and celebration of technology and culture in Africa,” says Bristow.

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