The African Ubuntu embraces the concept of solidarity between communities.  The word contains a sense of kindly togetherness and of co-operation between people, building strength of purpose among them.  At an ISPA Congress in New York in January 2006, Dr. John Kani highlighted the benefits that the concept of Ubuntu offers the international community.  Ubuntu Revisited, the theme of this year’s June 2008 ISPA Congress in Durban, SA, provides a beginning point for artists, arts administrators and the media to respond on a global level to the topic of Ubuntu in the context of the world’s arts community.  This Congress will seek to address the dynamic relationships that form when diverse creative forces come together.

Following the Congress is one of South Africa’s most important performing arts events and the biggest annual celebration of the arts on the African continent.  The Festival runs from July 2-11 and is held in the small university city of Grahamstown, which is situated in the Eastern Cape, 130 km from Port Elizabeth.  This major event will offer ISPA delegates a superb showcase of the work South Africa’s greater arts community offers its audiences.