What's On

Programme

At the heart of the Invitational is the University of Robben Island, not a conventional university, but a conceptual framework inspired by the intellectual life forged on the island under incarceration.

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Operations Notice

Session access is linked to ferry schedules and island capacity. Check travel updates before departure.

The Festival Propeller

The Festival Propeller is the Invitational’s engine of movement and support. It is a small, trusted circle of partners, institutions, funders, and collaborators who help propel the festival forward through shared values, resources, imagination, and care.

Rather than a traditional sponsorship model, the Propeller is a collective framework, bringing together those who believe in the long-term cultural, educational, and ethical importance of the festival. Members of the Propeller contribute in diverse ways: financial support, expertise, platforms, networks, and co-creation.

University of Robben Island (Festival Programme)

During the festival, Robben Island becomes a temporary university where lectures replace keynotes, seminars replace panels, and readings, dialogues, performances, and workshops become shared study.

This framing does not replace the festival form, it deepens it. The University of Robben Island offers a way of thinking about the programme as collective learning: rigorous, open, humane, and rooted in lived history.