Paradigm Shifts in African Theatre and Performance

2016 AfTA Annual International Conference

University of Abuja, Nigeria

21 – 24 July 2016

Theatre and Performance have developed along several major lines of enquiry in Africa over the last six decades from responses to the relegation and later restoration of its indigenous forms in the wake of political independence across the continent, to having to re-define the concepts and interpretations of theatre and performance, occasionally in order to calibrate new ideas and emerging trends within the field or as response to developments elsewhere in the world. In the process, African theatre and performance have not only had to re-conxtextualize and reposition itself for its primary audience, it has had to accommodate an ever- expanding discourse and praxis of new forms, theories, and methodologies. While some of the old and new performative and performance territories have been explored and investigated endlessly, others such as Nollywood, KinaUganda and the recent growths of especially women writers and practitioners and of political performances in West and North Africa continue to attract scholarly interest and worthy of further interrogation. The conference, themed ‘Paradigm Shifts in African Theatre and Performance’ aims to track these paradigm shifts from different perspectives, and will be structured around panels/papers/performed presentations that open up far-wider discussions on each sub-theme and the challenges, and connections or their absence regarding the various developments and shifts in theatre and performance in Africa, locally, nationally, regionally, continentally and globally.

You are invited to submit abstracts for the 2016 AfTA Annual International Conference taking place at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Your topic should address any one or related sub-themes and can be presented in any form; as a paper, workshop, field research notes, discussion, performance, etc.

Conference Theme: Paradigm Shifts in African Theatre and Performance

Sub-Themes:
i. Trends in Playwriting in Africa
ii. Movements and Developments in Play and Film Directing
iii. Performance Theories and Criticism in African Theatre
iv. African Theatre and Cybernetics
v. Emerging Trends / Perspectives in Scenography
vi. Shifts in Gender and Women Studies
vii. Nollywood and Identity Formation in African Performance
viii. Technology and Film, Television and New Media
ix. Social Media and African Performance
x. Ecocriticism and Theatre and Performance in Africa
xi. Trends in Choreography and Dance Art
xii. Issues in Theatre-in-Education
xiii. Management and Marketing of African Performances
xiv. Folk Performance and New Media
xv. Concept and Practice of African Diaspora Theatre
xvi. Issues in Dramatherapy and Theatre for Development (TFD)
xvii. African Music Aesthetics
xviii. African Performance and the Audience.

To submit an abstract or proposal, send up to 250 words on any aspect of the theme or subthemes to
the conference convener Dr. Kwaghkondo Agber at: conferences@africantheatreassociation.org

Deadline for Abstracts: 31 March 2016

Categories: Calls for & opportunities

Tags: African theatre, Nollywood, Performance, University of Abuja