Philisiwe Twijnstra is an award-winning South African actor, playwright, and theatre maker based in Rotterdam. Her work focuses on black narratives and inclusive representation and has been showcased across Europe, Africa, and Canada. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University. In 2018, she received the CASA Playwright Award. As a 2022 Playwright Fellow with AWPN–Ghana, she was named in the 2023 Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans (Film & Media). In 2025, she received the AMARTE Grant for her new play, "The Dutch Dream," and is a member of the Almasi Playwright Cohort (2025–26). Twijnstra was chosen for the International Women's Playwrights Conference in the Philippines in 2026 and was part of the Caine Prize Writer Cohort (2026) in Zanzibar. She currently serves as a Creative Coach at Zuidplein Theatre and a Writer-in-Residence at Het Veerhuis, where she researches her newest play, "Black Kitchen". Her collection, "Flying Cows and Other Traumas," has been published by Jacana Media.