HRH Princess Sofia is co-founder of the Langa and Gugulethu-based Project Playground along with Frida Vesterberg. Project Playground provides care facilities to children with severe physical and intellectual disabilities as well as arts, cultural and educational programmes for children and youth.

The royal visit centred on possible collaboration with Artscape focusing on theatre access to performances by persons with disabilities in particular children and the annual ArtsAbility festival in collaboration with Unmute Dance Company. The festival straddles the period inclusive of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December.

The importance of this groundbreaking project is aimed at giving hope and dignity for youth with disabilities an educational home.

This is the first of its kind that young kids with severe disabilities are mainstreamed.

The royal visit coincided with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthethwa, hosting the Establishment of the Resistance and Liberation Movement Museum meeting, held at Artscape.

The aforementioned annual event is an integrated arts platform that presents world-class collaborative artistic works by artists with mixed abilities (artists living with and without disabilities).

This festival incorporates dance, live music, poetry, visual arts, film, fashion design, art installations, theatre and site-specific performances as a medium to challenge the public’s misconception on people living with disabilities. These artworks will encourage people to break stereotypes and educate people about living in an integrated and inclusive society.

Project Playground children attended the festival at Artscape in December 2019.