Dear Museum!

The South African internationally acclaimed interdisciplinary performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza continually reveals and projects the state of mind of a solitary figure – a non-binary, womanly man and a sangoma (traditional healer). Through explorations of sexuality and ancestral practice, they move fluidly across artistic mediums to interrogate social ills and articulate what their divergent nature perceives and interprets
about the world we inhabit. Their work critically questions surroundings, leadership, and life itself.
Khoza is a multi-award-winning artist, including receiving the 2023 Bessie Award for And So You See … Our Honorable Blue Sky and Ever Enduring Sun … Can Only Be Consumed Slice by Slice … (a collaboration with Robyn Orlin). Their body of work includes The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, which toured internationally across the USA, South America, and Europe, as well as The Red Femicycle and Influence of a Closet Chant, further affirming their distinct voice within contemporary performance.

Julia Burnham began dancing at a young age in Alexandra Township, training in both modern and traditional dance before joining Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM), where she became a full-time company member. She has toured internationally with Robyn Orlin’s works and performed at major global platforms including the 2010 FIFA World Cup Concert alongside artists such as Shakira and Hugh Masekela. A former senior member of Vuyani Dance Theatre, she worked closely with Gregory Maqoma and Luyanda Sidiya, while also choreographing her own acclaimed works including
Something Black and Yellow, Noted: A Note to Self, Matlou, Knots and Codes, and Fetch (later developed into a short film). Her collaborations extend to Via Katlehong, international residencies such as the American Dance Festival at Duke University, and interdisciplinary projects including virtual reality performance. Now an independent choreographer and mentor, Julia leads her movement initiative “Starting the Conversation – Healing Through Movement” and continues creating for stage and commercial platforms.

Princess Mhlongo is an award-winning South African director and film producer, and the Managing Director of African Entertainers, a production and artist management company dedicated to positioning African work on the global stage.

Recognised as Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Theatre (2012), she established herself as a leading theatre director before transitioning into film production. Her producing credits include Inkabi The Hitman (Netflix/NFVF), which screened internationally at the Kenya Film Festival and BRICS Film Festival (Moscow), won Best African Film at the Barcelona Indie Awards (2025), and received multiple South African award nominations and wins. She collaborated with Albert Ibokwe Khoza on The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, which toured internationally across the USA, South America, and Europe. Internationally, she has participated in the Salzburg Young Directors Project, Theatreformen Festival (Germany), and Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics (2020–22), where her work expanded onto global platforms.

nqobile natasia (affectionately known as Rick) is a multidisciplinary arts practitioner and cultural worker, specialising in a number of design mediums, production management and Coordination, as well as working in communications and publicity within the visual arts and commercial sector. Rick’s practical experience ranges from stage hand in their earlier university years, to design and stage management and film set, and costume since then. Working with directors such as Kamogelo Molobye, Gavin Matthys, Neka DaCosta and VR Theatrical production company, as well as Norman Maake and African Entertainers production company.
Rick uses their broad experience from their participation at The Centre for the Less Good Idea where they sharpened their skills in the wide world puppetry and its design, as well as technical skills in projection mapping and stop motion film making. Working with African Entertainers’ producer, Princess Mhlongo, on a range of productions from visual arts-live performance film, and theatre set and costume design, Rick practices the scenographic art of world building; the ability to create something, a place, a path, that mimics, alters, and distorts the way we’ve come to understand reality. Through maximalism and (afro)surrealism they redefine the aesthetics of the world they know and the world they were and still are building, harnessing the range of their work in operations and publicity management for both the cultural and commercial sector, they have begun to implement modes of extending this world to the digital.

Born and raised in Soweto, Sandile is a filmmaker with a rich background in content creation and short-form branded storytelling. As the co-founder of Bushkoppies Agency, a cutting-edge creative agency based in Johannesburg, his team is pioneering a bold intersection between sports and culture in the
marketing landscape. His passion lies in youth-driven cultural movements, and he is committed to preserving the stories of South Africa’s ongoing cultural renaissance for future generations. With a deep rooted belief in the power of storytelling, Sandile sees these narratives as pivotal to shaping the future. Having honed his craft as an editor at The Post Office, a leading post-production company, Sandile brings a sharp, cinematic lens to the audio-visual space. His
distinct perspective on South African culture is poised to showcase the country’s rich heritage and creativity on the global stage.

Noluthando “Thando” Lobese is a Johannesburg-based costume and production designer with a background in fashion. Mentored by award-winning designer
Nadya Cohen, she contributed to numerous productions at the Market Theatre before further refining her craft at Stockholm Stadsteater in Sweden under Charlie Koroly. Her work has been showcased internationally across Europe and the United States, earning her awards and nominations for excellence in design.
Thando received a SAFTA in 2022 for her production design on Diep City and was nominated for Black Door. Her practice extends into visual arts, where she explores sustainable design through recycled materials, continually pushing creative boundaries across stage and screen.

Yogin Sullaphen is a South African multi-instrumentalist, live music performer, composer, and producer working across theatre, dance, film, and performance art. A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, he has received multiple Naledi Theatre Award nominations for composition and sound design for Jungfrau and Strange Land, directed by Jade Bowers and Gabo Legwala, in collaboration with Modise Sekgothe. He is currently touring Genesis, a new work by Gregory Maqoma, and has toured extensively with Robyn Orlin on projects presented with Moving into Dance Mophatong and Garage Dance Ensemble. His practice also includes co-producing the Zebras Crossing Collective. With the live looping duo uKhoiKhoi, he has performed at Fête de la Musique (Johannesburg) and Sauti za Busara (Zanzibar), and has appeared at the National Arts Festival with Modise Sekgothe, Kieron Jina, and Marc Gabriel.

Nkululeko Mazibuko is a seasoned South African lighting designer and technical specialist, currently serving as Head of Lighting at the Soweto Theatre in Johannesburg, where he has been part of the team since its opening in 2012. After studying business at the University of Johannesburg, he
discovered his passion for theatre through performance before transitioning into backstage technology and lighting. He trained at the Market Theatre,
completed an internship in lighting design, and went on to freelance nationally across festivals and productions. Mazibuko has participated in international
exchanges, including Stockholm’s Stadsteatern in Sweden, and professional platforms such as Crossings. His lighting credits include works by Thabo Rapoo, Kieron Jina, Swazi Dlamini, Ofentse Mothusi, Jenifer Irons, Podium Comedy Merchants, and Miss Soweto.

Miranda Mogodla is a seasoned stage manager and production coordinator based in Johannesburg, with experience spanning theatre, music, and live events. Her production credits include Paradise Fall (Ntsieng Mokgoro – Olive Tree Productions), Dick or Date (Momo Matsunyane Productions), Take Me to Town (Blank Page Productions), Julius (Tick Tock Productions), and Red Femicycle (African Entertainers). Miranda has also worked on The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, touring with the production internationally and further expanding her expertise on the global stage. She has collaborated with platforms such as The Plat4orm and Music in Africa, and previously served as Production Manager at Olive Theatre. In addition to her collaborative projects, Miranda continues to produce independent works, creating spaces where performance and purpose meet.

Thabo Pule is a South African technical specialist in lighting and sound design, stage management, and production. He trained at The Dance Factory in Newtown and went on to serve as a resident senior technician, collaborating with leading local and international companies including Robyn Orlin’s City Theatre & Dance Group. With over a decade of experience touring across Europe and beyond, Thabo has designed lighting and sound for numerous acclaime productions and festivals. His extensive work in theatre, dance, and live performance has established him as a sought-after technical creative both in South Africa and internationally.

Carolin Hochleichter has been a dramaturg and program curator at the Humboldt Forum Foundation since fall 2025. She studied cultural studies and aesthetic practice at the University of Hildesheim and the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht, as well as curatorial studies at the HGB Leipzig. While still a student in Hildesheim, she took on the artistic direction of the international performing arts festival transeuropa in 2003. From 2004 to 2007, she co-directed the Mobile Akademie with Hannah Hurtzig and worked on various projects in Hamburg, Berlin, and Warsaw in this capacity. After serving as a dramaturg at Theater Freiburg from 2008 to 2011, she was dramaturg for the Foreign Affairs Festival of the Berliner Festspiele from 2012 to 2016 and, in this capacity, co-editor of the publication *How to Frame. On the Threshold of Performing and Visual Arts* (Sternberg Press, Berlin 2016). From 2017 to 2020, she served as a curator for the Ruhrtriennale and, in 2018–19, additionally as co-curator for the international program of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival. In 2020, she took on the artistic direction of the application process for the city and region of Hildesheim as European Capital of Culture. In 2023, she served as artistic director of the Berlin Theatertreffen alongside Olena Apchel and Joanna Nuckowska, and in 2025, she curated the Wiesbaden Biennale together with Rebecca Ajnwojner.

Since 2014, she has been a mentor for dramaturgy and directing at the Academy of Performing Arts Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, and since 2024 she has been co-directing the dramaturgy program there with Anna Haas.