South African artists fly SA flag high during the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo 2026
26 October 2026
South African artists Nomzekelo Jamakazi Bazana and Queen Bongi Kotta Ramushwana flew the South African flag high during the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo that took place from 9-13 October 2026. The event is one of the world’s leading performing arts marketplaces, showcasing indigenous music, opera, poetry and storytelling to international audiences in Hong Kong.
Nomzekelo "Jamakazi" Bazana is an award-winning South African musician, opera and jazz vocalist, praise poet, composer, choreographer and cultural dancer. Bazana also uses her music to champion community causes, including raising awareness of gender-based violence. She is currently adapting a children’s book on the five basic human rights into an opera and has collaborated on projects addressing GBV.
Queen Bongiswa Kotta Ramushwana (often known as Queen Bongi) is an award-winning international storyteller, praise poet, cultural activist, philanthropist, singer and motivational speaker from South Africa. She is also celebrated for using traditional African oral narratives as dynamic tools for leadership development, education, and emotional healing. She also speaks eight South African languages and is a qualified interpreter in South African Sign Language and runs workshops dedicated to training deaf storytellers, using expressive body movements and facial gestures to make oral history accessible to everyone.
The two artists shared and exchanged South Africa’s culture and heritage during HKPAX as well through storytelling, music, drums with local students at the Africa centre in Hong Kong.
Organized by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) and centered around the theme "Passion in Motion," the five-day premier event brought together over 2,000 global artists, practitioners, and cultural leaders from 60 countries across five continents to foster international collaboration.
Highlights of the 2026 Expo included Expanded Public Engagement: The expo featured an outdoor "Open Prologue" from 6 to 9 October at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza. It transformed the Victoria Harbour waterfront into a free open-air stage for dance, Xiqu (Cantonese opera), and choral music.; Diverse Showcases: The official schedule featured more than 40 international showcases and project pitching sessions; Global Networking & Outcomes: Alongside 40+ curated dialogues and forums, the platform directly generated tangible global partnerships, culminating in new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Hong Kong arts groups and international counterparts.
Following the conclusion of this year's successful event, the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo announced that its third edition will officially return in October 2028. South Africa is expected to be represented. The South African Consulate in Hong Kong shares good relations with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council which saw an MoU signed in 2024 between the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the South African National Arts Council with South African artists performing in Hong Kong in 2024 and Hong Kong artists performing in South Africa in 2025. This is testimony to, not only the good relations, but also cultural diplomacy and people to people relations between South Africa and Hong Kong
South African Consulate in Hong Kong