There are so many South African art workshops and holidays to choose from that you will have to come back time and again to paint a complete picture - from wildlife to still life, from beaches to mountains. Draw, paint or sketch your way across the landscape. more

South Africa has produced icons of the arts from an array of disciplines. Celebrated at home and abroad, these visual artists, writers, dancers, musicians and performers represent the country's diversity as well as its creative potential. They are all heroes of the arts. more

JM Coetzee's mastery of clear, concise prose, meticulous construction and meaningful dialogue elevate his work to the highest ranks of modern literature. His writing reflects an austere economy of words and a direct, rational style which has won him the highest of literary accolades, the Nobel Prize for Literature. more

The Keiskamma Art Project in the Eastern Cape town of Hamburg has helped bring hope and confidence to a group of rural women living in an area plagued by high levels of unemployment. They use their embroidery skills to create tapestries that tell stories reflecting their culture and history. more

Johannesburg theatres will leave the culture vulture spoilt for choice. From Soweto to Sandton, there’s something for everyone. Consult your local newspaper for listings, pick one and try not to be distracted by the wealth of choice! Then, let the curtain rise, the lights dim, suspend your belief, and let the show begin... more

Icons of South African fashion design include rule-breakers, visionaries and business entrepreneurs, who, in flexing their creative muscles, have helped create South Africa’s unique design identity. Some have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, while others have shown their designs on catwalks from Cape Town to New York. more

Vusi Mahlasela, dubbed the 'Bob Dylan of South Africa' by long-time admirer, friend and fellow musician Dave Matthews, spent his youth in Mamelodi, an artistically creative township and hotbed of political activism. A prolific poet and songwriter since his early teens, Mahalsela is one of South Africa’s most acclaimed musicians. more

South African theatre is an enthralling, interactive experience - between actors and audience, plots and understanding, stimulus and response. South African plays will make you laugh or sob, gasp or hold your breath. You’ll rage or you’ll swoon, and ultimately you’ll applaud, because South African plays will touch your heart. more

Performing arts venues that are, in themselves, artistic by design are very rare. It’s a combination that offers an entirely different meaning of art for art’s sake and is best understood if viewed and visited as part of an audience. Come to the Pretoria State Theatre and be moved – in more ways than one… more

Comedy nights in South Africa provide diverse comedic entertainment, plus a good dose of fresh talent, too; events often include open mic sessions, providing platforms for the new comics hoping to break onto the scene. They provide an exciting night out as audiences never know what routine they might get. more

South African comedy festivals offer fantastic platforms for the country’s weird and wonderful characters, communities and cultures. A comedy festival is the best way to get it all in one shot, and to experience the country’s cream of the crop, mixing it up with top international comedians. A laugh a minute. more

Expect the unexpected in South Africa’s comedy clubs, where diverse comedians will shake things up with their radical commentary, scathing satire, colourful impersonations, improv routines, open mic sessions and a whole lot more; anything and everything goes at these eclectic, laugh-a-minute, multi-cultural affairs. more

Less popular South African theatre exists in all the major cities. The country nurtures a vibrant theatrical scene with more than 100 venues countrywide. These venues range from the monolithic homes of the former state-supported performing arts councils, to purpose-built theatres, a converted produce market, casinos and understated eateries. more

Nadine Gordimer’s works were a thorn in the side of the apartheid government and, although a number of them were banned, she chose to stay on in Johannesburg. She was the first South African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. more