About our working group
Discover the history, mission, and vision of the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group, a vibrant community fostering global scholarship and creative collaboration.
Our journey and unique community
The African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group was founded in 2007 during the first IFTR conference hosted in Africa at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Initially focused on exploring research concepts and practices from the African continent, the group was renamed in 2012 to fully acknowledge the trans-Atlantic connections between Africa and the Caribbean. Performance traditions travel easily across borders, languages, and cultures, manifesting the rich, generative exchange and transformation that occur alongside processes of trade, war, travel, and immigration. Today, we appreciate the mutual influences, shared histories, and connections between African performance on the continent and African performance in the African diaspora.
Our mission and vision
Our mission is to provide the space to unearth innovative methodologies and further scholarly discourses on the study and practice of African and Caribbean performance worldwide. We foster networks and collaborations amongst scholars across the globe with an interest in this research area. The African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group envisions a vibrant, globally recognized community where African and Caribbean performance traditions, innovations, and futures are at the forefront of scholarly and artistic conversations. We aspire to shape an intellectual and creative space that not only honors the deep histories and transatlantic connections of African and Caribbean performance but also amplifies their power to imagine new worlds, inspire social change, and expand global understandings of theatre and performance.
Join our community
Our members contribute a broad range of international perspectives to our Working Group's sessions. We encourage experienced and new scholars to join our growing community. We aim for you to feel inspired to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue in African and Caribbean theatre and performance studies. Please reach out to our convenors if you would like to become a member of this group. We look forward to welcoming you.
"The IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group provides an invaluable platform for critical dialogue and collaborative scholarship."
Dr. D. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson, Co-convenor, Theatre and Performance Studies Scholar, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
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