Hector Dibakoane, who was born and bred in Mpumalanga, is the culture curator and the chief executive of the Makers Valley Partnership. Makers Valley is situated in Johannesburg’s inner city stretching from the suburbs of New Doornfontein to Bezuidenhout Valley and includes Bertrams, Judith’s Paarl, Troyeville and Lorentzville. The name comes from the many entrepreneurs such as artists, urban gardeners and artisans who live there. Urban decay and unemployment, particularly among the youth, also mark the area.
The 32-year-old’s work is centred on creating access to information, work opportunities, spaces and healing while spreading awareness of the environment. He does this through collaborations with various institutions and organisations to explore a system called the “well-being economy” — a practice of putting people and the planet first. As the cultural curator he uses the arts as a tool to work with people in the surrounding neighbourhoods on various topics such as sustainability.
Hector, through Makers Valley, organises clean-up campaigns and runs programmes that aim to upskill the youth and raise awareness of the environment. Having personally experienced deprivation of resources, information and access to spaces has inspired Hector to do something to help others.
I’ve been involved in Makers Valley Partnership since its inception in 2018. Fast forward to today and I’ve been appointed the organisational co-lead of MVP. It is the heart of social and creative enterprises where we, as an organisation, support and enable the growth of people in our community.
Yes, having mentors is and will always be essential. I’ve been helped with acquiring information and accessing spaces that would’ve been a challenge to tap into. One of those things worth mentioning is the scholarship I got to do the nexus leadership course at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.