CANNES DAILY DIARY: Day 1 with Phiona Okumu
South Africa’s Cannes Daily Diary, brought to you by IDIDTHAT and VRtuosus. Following South Africa’s creative virtuosos at Cannes Lions 2026.
For this edition of our South Africans in Cannes Diary, Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa Head of Music Phiona Okumu reflects on her first Cannes Lions experience as a juror. Between moments of impostor syndrome, finding friendship in unexpected places, discovering the real Cannes beyond the Croisette, and squeezing in an early morning run along the Mediterranean, her diary is a reminder that some of the most meaningful parts of Cannes happen far away from the stages.
As a Cannes newbie, I wasn’t prepared for how spent I would feel following a full weekend of jury deliberations – not exhausted exactly, more like wrung out in the best possible way. I had spent the better part of two days in a room with incredibly sharp top-of-their-game types, debating what excellence looks like in music in relation to brands and entertainment (winners announced today!). Candidly, there were some vulnerable moments for me. Most, if not all of my fellow jurors had deep Cannes experience and/or were extremely fluent with brand verbiage in a way that’s a little foreign to me. I wrestled with some flutters of impostor syndrome but only temporarily because everyone else was so generous and gracious.
By Sunday evening, something else cracked open. I wound up the night having found true friends. Women connected not by the industry, not by job titles or which yacht party they were headed to next but by stories about love, loss and life’s triumphs along the way. I’m not a natural networker, and so the Croisette card exchanges, the calculated proximity to influence which I fully get is all part of the Cannes experience isn’t my sport. But these connections made and cemented in the charming, steep cobbled streets of the old town side of Cannes, I will take with me forever.
If you’d like, catch me tomorrow at the Kantar Content Studio where I’ll be part of a conversation about creativity, culture, brand and business growth in one of the most demanding markets on earth. The framing is ‘when the world goes quiet, South Africa gets louder,’ which I think is accurate and worth unpacking properly. The women I’m sharing that stage with – Fran Luckin, Bridget Harpur, Khensani Nobanda – are titans I am looking forward to learning from.
South Africans in Cannes Diary is brought to you by IDIDTHAT and VRtuosus, Johannesburg’s new real-time virtual production studios.
Using leading virtual production technology, VRtuosus helps production companies, agencies and brands create ambitious work more efficiently, opening up new creative possibilities without leaving the studio. Seriously, it’s very cool!
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SOUTH AFRICA AT CANNES LIONS 2026 NEWS
Creative Circle’s Full Circle event is back
The Creative Circle Full Circle 2026, in partnership with Ster-Kinekor, hosts a selection of jury members, as they take the audience inside the jury rooms, through an inspiring showcase of the top trends, insights and award-winning work from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Live Updates: South Africa’s Winners & Shortlists at Cannes 2026
IDIDTHAT will be the first to bring you the Cannes Lions shortlists for South Africa as they are announced from the 11th – 26th of June 2026. Not only will we list those involved in creating the magic, we’ll also be showcasing the actual work that’s being recognised globally and link it back to the IDIDTHAT companies behind the work. This way, you’ll know exactly who the top creative minds to collaborate with are.
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For her first Cannes Lions, Volkswagen Group Africa Head of Marketing Bridget Harpur navigates the heat (and rosé) like a seasoned professional. One thing that stands out for her is the South Africans. Competitors at home, one team at Cannes. Her diary is a reminder of what an incredible bunch of humans we are. Go Team SA 🇿🇦
