Introducing the GPS jury 2026

GPS jury 2026 © Goethe-Institut

This years‘ GPS Jury committee comprised of curator Khanyisile Mbongwa, cultural practitioner and Antidote Culture Foundation Co-Founder Siphilele Magagula and Barrydale Jazz & Brass Festival Director Jonathon Rees.

Jury statement 2026

Engaging with the GPS applications was both a curious and rewarding process, revealing a wide range of imaginations shaped by distinct geographical, social, and artistic contexts across Southern Africa. It was an honour and a privilege to serve on the jury for the 2026 GPS grants.

Alongside the Goethe-Institut’s formal criteria, our deliberations focused on the relationship between concept, capability, community engagement, and the potential for something genuinely new to emerge. The selection process was challenging, as many applications demonstrated creative innovation and compelling narratives, pointing to a healthy ecosystem of both established and emerging practitioners, as well as an urgent need for sustained institutional support.

At the same time, we observed that some strong ideas were not sufficiently matched by demonstrated capacity for execution, realistic timelines, or credible budgets. In some cases, projects were overly ambitious, with too many elements diluting their feasibility.
The projects selected for funding stood out for their clear and thoughtful response to the GPS brief, their meaningful engagement with community through creative expression, and the strength of the teams behind them. These proposals demonstrated a balance between vision and practicality, building on existing resources with achievable budgets and a credible path from intention to realization. We believe these projects have the potential not only to be successfully realized, but also to spark meaningful shifts within their respective artistic landscapes.

Introducing the GPS jury 2026

Khanyisile Mbongwa

Khanyisile Mbongwa is a Cape Town-based independent curator and sociologist whose practice, centered on Curing & Care, uses creativity to instigate spaces for Emancipatory Practices, Joy, Play, and Insistance. She is the founding curator of the Stellenbosch Triennale and of the Hazendal Festival.

Mbongwa’s recent curatorial projects include Process as Resistance, Resilience & Regeneration a group exhibition co-curated with Julia Haarmann at C.A.T Cologne, Germany (2020) and iiNyanka Zonyaka (The Lunar Songbook), Athi-Patra Ruga’s solo at Norval Foundation (2020), as well as curating a group exhibition History’s Footnote: On Love & Freedom at Marres, Netherlands (2021). A PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town, she is also a Blak C.O.R.E Fellow at the University of Melbourne for 2024-2025. She was the Curator for the Liverpool Biennial (2023) and is the founder of Cartography: A poem of Black Geography vol1, held at Black Gotham, New York (2023) a screening and talks convening between artist in Africa and its diasporas, and curated the inaugural Hazendal Festival | Soil Edition (2024).

Mbongwa, is the Founding Chief Curator of the 2025 Stellenbosch Triennale.
Siphilele Magagula

Siphilele Magagula is a conscious innovator and problem solver committed to driving meaningful social change and empowering individuals to dream beyond their limitations. She is an entrepreneur, branding consultant and cultural practitioner. She is the co-founder of Antidote Culture Foundation. As a co-founder of the Antidote Culture Foundation, Siphilele has helped raise over €70,000 in under two years to support capacity-building programs that address critical needs in Eswatini's creative sector, such as funding, mentorship, and access to facilities. With a 1 background in interior architecture and design, Siphilele has worked internationally, including in New York City, and is now focused on fostering a thriving creative economy in Eswatini to combat youth unemployment and improve quality of life. Her work emphasizes inclusion, collaboration, and mentorship to empower local creatives.
Jonathon Rees

Jonathon Rees is a communication strategist and volunteer cultural activist who leads the Dark Arts Curfew Club and Barrydale Jazz & Brass Festival NPC. He is a writer, project manager, promoter and photographer.

Jonathon set up the Barrydale NPC with a vision to bring quality music and arts to a small rural village as an economic catalyst and a tool of development and social cohesion.

The mission is to produce not just performances but also to support the wider music ecosystem, developing technical skills and youth work opportunities, supporting bands with equipment, stimulating local tours and festivals, and enabling young artists to record and distribute their work.

The Dark Arts initiative has delivered 25 high-quality performances to dynamic and diverse audiences, in seven venues, in two provinces. It is the project lead in the extension of WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) to small towns at the request of the provincial arts minister, with a first satellite event in Barrydale on 4 Oct 2025.

Jonathon was curator and coordinator of the GIZ anti-corruption arts initiative (March-Sept 2025) – working with seven arts and culture organisations.

He supports the Empowerment Marimba Band in Heidelberg; and coordinated a world-first experiment in Oct 2025 to explore the potential of marimbas playing in a factory with industrial hand weaving looms, under the musical direction of N’Faly Kouyaté.

Jonathon’s investment in the arts is a passion project for no financial gain. His music photography has been exhibited at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda and the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg.

GPS projects announced for 2026

Exciting news! Our dedicated jury, Khanyisile Mbongwa, Siphilele Magagula and Jonathon Rees have selected the three projects that will be supported with a GPS grant in 2025. Read more about each project on our website.

Eine Vintage-Kamera, Filmnegative und verstreute alte Zeitungsausschnitte liegen auf einem Tisch als Teil eines GPS‑2026‑Archivprojekts. © Mohla-Monene © Mohla-Monene

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