EP 31 | Stage to Sandbox, Alby Michaels, Building Africa’s Leading Digital Festival
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What happens when a theatre-maker becomes the festival director of Africa’s leading digital innovation festival?
In this episode of The Angle, Alby Michaels takes us inside Fak’ugesi 2025: why the festival is decentralising back into the city, how the new showcase puts African immersive work at the centre, and why themes like ancestral intelligence and data sovereignty aren’t buzzwords—but a blueprint for building a sustainable digital ecosystem.
We dig into:
-How Fak’ugesi now doubles as incubator + accelerator for African creators
-The case for awards that build legacy (with entries from 25 African countries)
-The hard truth about funding cuts, and why a commercial layer (think “trade-floor meets festival”) could future-proof the scene
-Why a central repository of African immersive works matters, and what it would take to make it real
-Practical entry points for founders, students, curators and partners who want to plug in
If you care about XR/VR, gaming, animation, digital art, or the policy + funding structures that make creative tech possible in Africa—this conversation is your map.
0:00 – Intro: Why Alby took the job (and the stress of festival week)
1:14 – From actor/director to digital festival director (UJ, BASA, producing & strategy)
2:15 – Why tech + storytelling: “my toy chest exploded”
3:30 – What’s new at Fak’ugesi 2025: decentralising into the city (Wits Digital Dome, Origin Centre)
4:37 – Step Inside Our Stories – showcasing African immersive content & business models
4:58 – Ancestral Intelligence (not AI): values, symbolism, and creative evolution at Origin Centre
7:28 – What Fak’ugesi actually does: incubate, accelerate, showcase, and build community
9:15 – Festival as community builder: animation, gaming, XR and peer-to-peer exchange
11:34 – Pre- vs post-Covid: why block parties paused, why funding now prioritises content & exchange
13:47 – Awards matter (and why they’re always political): building legacy for African digital work
15:00 – How submissions/jury work; 94 entries from 25 African countries in 2025
18:36 – Do awards still matter? Recognition, discovery, visibility
20:54 – Theme: “Power Up” — surge of ideas, ownership, and continental energy
22:40 – Data sovereignty: creating African data points, from talk to action
25:00 – Why a central repository/library for African immersive work is hard (funding + hosting)
27:56 – What funders get: visibility, ecosystem-building, premier African digital festival
30:02 – How this all gets made: passion, partnerships, “gaffer tape and a dream”
31:17 – Should the festival add a commercial layer? (Decorex/Comic Con-style trade floor)
33:49 – Vision: multi-floor expo (talks + stalls + commissions) to drive sustainability
35:00 – ROI, audience growth, and funder value—why scale unlocks resilience
39:10 – Programme highlights: Fak’ugesi Pro, dome climate justice experiences, family day, Jozi Game Fest pop-up
40:11 – Why you should be there: the network, the zeitgeist, the community
40:27 – Ticketing: from R40; family package with shuttle between Dome → Origin Centre → Sci-Bono
41:34 – Wrap: “See you at Fak’ugesi
In this episode of The Angle, Alby Michaels takes us inside Fak’ugesi 2025: why the festival is decentralising back into the city, how the new showcase puts African immersive work at the centre, and why themes like ancestral intelligence and data sovereignty aren’t buzzwords—but a blueprint for building a sustainable digital ecosystem.
We dig into:
-How Fak’ugesi now doubles as incubator + accelerator for African creators
-The case for awards that build legacy (with entries from 25 African countries)
-The hard truth about funding cuts, and why a commercial layer (think “trade-floor meets festival”) could future-proof the scene
-Why a central repository of African immersive works matters, and what it would take to make it real
-Practical entry points for founders, students, curators and partners who want to plug in
If you care about XR/VR, gaming, animation, digital art, or the policy + funding structures that make creative tech possible in Africa—this conversation is your map.
0:00 – Intro: Why Alby took the job (and the stress of festival week)
1:14 – From actor/director to digital festival director (UJ, BASA, producing & strategy)
2:15 – Why tech + storytelling: “my toy chest exploded”
3:30 – What’s new at Fak’ugesi 2025: decentralising into the city (Wits Digital Dome, Origin Centre)
4:37 – Step Inside Our Stories – showcasing African immersive content & business models
4:58 – Ancestral Intelligence (not AI): values, symbolism, and creative evolution at Origin Centre
7:28 – What Fak’ugesi actually does: incubate, accelerate, showcase, and build community
9:15 – Festival as community builder: animation, gaming, XR and peer-to-peer exchange
11:34 – Pre- vs post-Covid: why block parties paused, why funding now prioritises content & exchange
13:47 – Awards matter (and why they’re always political): building legacy for African digital work
15:00 – How submissions/jury work; 94 entries from 25 African countries in 2025
18:36 – Do awards still matter? Recognition, discovery, visibility
20:54 – Theme: “Power Up” — surge of ideas, ownership, and continental energy
22:40 – Data sovereignty: creating African data points, from talk to action
25:00 – Why a central repository/library for African immersive work is hard (funding + hosting)
27:56 – What funders get: visibility, ecosystem-building, premier African digital festival
30:02 – How this all gets made: passion, partnerships, “gaffer tape and a dream”
31:17 – Should the festival add a commercial layer? (Decorex/Comic Con-style trade floor)
33:49 – Vision: multi-floor expo (talks + stalls + commissions) to drive sustainability
35:00 – ROI, audience growth, and funder value—why scale unlocks resilience
39:10 – Programme highlights: Fak’ugesi Pro, dome climate justice experiences, family day, Jozi Game Fest pop-up
40:11 – Why you should be there: the network, the zeitgeist, the community
40:27 – Ticketing: from R40; family package with shuttle between Dome → Origin Centre → Sci-Bono
41:34 – Wrap: “See you at Fak’ugesi
