SIBAHLE MABASO

Heroes in Communities, Sport, Arts & Culture

Nominee's Province:
Free State

Age:
23

Project Name/Description:

More info:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one precious life?” is a quote by Mary Oliver that Sibahle Mabaso lives by. Hailing from a small town called Kestell in the Free State, the 23-year-old artist says being an educator is what she considers one of her biggest dreams. “It does not matter which space it is in or what form it takes,” she asserts. The young lady hopes to run a successful skills-development programme, wherein she can expose communities to the arts and increase the investment and buy-in to the arts as a means of social reform. She also hopes to, one day, form part of an organisation or a company that develops the youth through programmes and integration. More than anything, she wants to be “in the room where it happens”, so that she can be active in the change-making process. Mabaso’s art is rooted in a deep desire to uplift the voices of the marginalised through storytelling. In closing, the future educator mentions, “I find that I am inspired by stories that are not spoken about enough. I have made a conscious effort to include those who have been excluded from the discourse a priority. I feel fulfilled when my privilege to create is coupled with my activism and social awareness.” Being an Unsung Hero, according to Mabaso, will open a plethora of opportunities, exposing her to individuals who are also change makers in the artistic space.