BY NELIWE NGUBANE
MBABANE – The curtains are preparing to rise on a new chapter for Eswatini’s theatre scene, as Mbabane gets ready to become a hub of African storytelling, creativity and cultural exchange during the October International Theatre Festival (OITF) from October 1 to 3, 2026.
Presented in collaboration with GENESIS Ekucaleni Media, the three-day festival aims to revive theatre in Eswatini by bringing together performers, theatre practitioners, facilitators, students and creatives from across Southern Africa.
The festival will feature five creative pillars: the Theatre Festival, Murals, Schools Festival, Creative Arts Masterclass Workshops and Dzeliwe Street Festival.
Organisers say OITF comes at a significant time for Eswatini’s theatre industry, which has not hosted a festival of comparable magnitude since the Matiwane Manana Arts Festival of the late 1990s.
The festival was founded by Khethabahle Mthethwa at the Eswatini Theatre Club, with the late Prince Masitsela serving as its patron. Decades later, OITF seeks to build on that legacy by creating platforms for local productions while connecting Eswatini’s theatre community with practitioners from across Africa.
Audiences will have access to more than 15 theatre productions over the three days, while approximately 20 workshops will focus on skills development and interaction between local and international practitioners.
The workshops will be hosted at five Mbabane venues: Alliance Française, Eswatini Theatre Club Auditorium, Candlelight Room, American Embassy Corner and Yini Loku Gallery.
Facilitators, instructors and performers will travel from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana, creating opportunities for cultural exchange and exposure to different approaches to African storytelling and theatre production.
The international programme has been strengthened through the Zambezi Cross initiative and support from South Africa’s Mzansi Golden Economy, which will bring touring productions including Amagrootman, Woza Albert and Stevovo the Puppeteer to Eswatini.
Experts supported through a partnership with the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation will also facilitate exchange workshops.
Local storytelling will remain at the heart of the programme, with COYI Theatre and The Big Kraal Theatre among the local participants. The Big Kraal Theatre will present The Ants, a production exploring social issues through the perspective of a destitute person who views life differently.
Beyond the stage, OITF is expected to engage more than 100 creatives in areas including artist management, liaison, stage management, design, workshop coordination, safety, branding, film, video and content creation. Approximately 750 participants are expected to benefit from the workshops.
The festival’s five pillars are designed to make the programme reach beyond traditional theatre spaces. The Schools Festival will introduce young people to theatre and creative arts, while the Dzeliwe Street Festival will bring performances and creativity into public spaces. The murals component will provide a platform for visual artists.
Organisers ultimately want OITF to become an annual festival, supported by year-round activities that continue developing artists and audiences between editions.
At its core, the festival presents theatre as a powerful form of storytelling, bringing together drama, music, dance and performance to communicate stories, ideas and the social realities of communities.
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