SA: ACT announces mentors for 2025 Nyoloha Scholarship Programme

Photographer and multimedia designer Dahlia Maubane joins the programme as the visual and digital arts mentor, while seasoned actor and performing arts specialist Grant Towers returns for a second consecutive year as performing arts mentor.

Maubane, a University of Johannesburg and Market Photo Workshop alumna, is widely recognised for her acclaimed photographic project Woza Sisi, which documents the lives of female street hairstylists in Johannesburg. Her work has been exhibited locally and abroad, including at the Dialogue Vintage Photography Festival in Amsterdam. She has received numerous accolades, including the Market Photo Workshop Alumnus Award and the Ampersand Foundation Fellowship. In 2023, she co-launched the Woza Sisi publication and exhibition to spotlight and empower women photographers, and was named among the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans.

Towers has been a prominent figure in Gauteng’s live performance scene for over a decade. His stage credits include roles in Chicago: The Musical, Pinocchio, and Altyd in My Drome, for which he won a SATmag Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical in 2016. His work has earned him two Naledi Award nominations and spans theatre, dubbing, directing, television, education, and film.

In a major development, the 2025 ACT NSP will incorporate a new curriculum in mixed-reality and artificial intelligence (AI), delivered by immersive technology specialists Soda Studios. Founder Michael Balkind, known for his work across music, marketing, and immersive media, will lead the training sessions aimed at preparing both visual and performing arts participants for opportunities in the digital and extended reality space.

“We’re excited to welcome Grant back to the ACT NSP, and to have Dahlia join this year’s cohort,” ACT CEO Jessica Denyschen said. “Their involvement, along with the new digital skills training, reflects the programme’s evolution in response to the changing creative landscape. We’re focused on equipping young artists to thrive in both traditional and emerging sectors.”

Now in partnership with long-standing supporters Nedbank and Sun International, and returning sponsors the MTN Foundation SA and Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), the ACT NSP provides undergraduate scholarships for qualifying youth pursuing tertiary education in the visual and performing arts. The programme also offers career-enhancing skills to practising artists to support sustainable careers in the cultural and creative industries.

Participants selected for the 2025 intake will engage in a three-month online mentorship and training programme held on Saturdays. The curriculum includes discipline-specific sessions led by industry experts and explores the integration of immersive technology and AI in the arts.

Following the training phase, 15 finalists will be selected to attend an intensive week of masterclasses and rehearsals. The programme will culminate in a final showcase and exhibition, where two scholarships worth R300 000 each will be awarded.