“African Shakespeares” at Shakespeare Towards An End
From 24-27 May, the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre and the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa co-hosted Shakespeare Towards An End, a conference held at Spier Wine Farm in the Western Cape. The programme for the event included various opportunities for delegates to learn more about (and contribute to) an expanding Africa-focused Shakespearean research collaboration.
“African Shakespeares: Translating the texts, transforming the field” is a project supported by a grant from the Humboldt Foundation’s Research Group Linkage Programme. It connects scholars and practitioners in Germany and South Africa who are pursuing exciting new directions in Shakespearean translation, adaptation and performance in numerous African countries - including Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The “African Shakespeares” project partners in Germany are Serena Talento and Ifeoluwa Aboluwade of the University of Bayreuth, and Peter W. Marx of the University of Cologne. They are paired with TCC director Chris Thurman and two scholars who recently completed their doctoral research at Wits University, Marguerite de Waal and Linda Ritchie.
In addition, the network of project participants has grown to include numerous delegates who participated in Shakespeare Towards An End: Henry Bell and Stephen Collins (University of the West of Scotland), Lekan Balogun (University of Cologne), and Anelisa Phewa, Zwelakhe Mtsaka and Naomi Nkealah (Wits University).
The Humboldt Foundation’s support has enabled the development of the Sol Plaatje Archive of Shakespeare in African Languages; the publication of the launch titles in the TCC Press series (founded to publish new translations of Shakespeare into African languages); recent and upcoming volumes of the journal Shakespeare in Southern Africa; and a proposed special issue of Shakespeare Bulletin on “Shakespeare practice, teaching and research in sub-Saharan Africa”.
In addition, both Aboluwade and Balogun were able to share their research and creative practice with other South African academics and theatre makers. Balogun had the opportunity to workshop scenes from his play Olórógun Caesar! with the Drama Factory Ensemble and Aboluwade travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg after the conference to give a seminar hosted by the English and African Literature departments in Wits’ School of Literature, Language and Media.
The “African Shakespeares” panel at Shakespeare Towards An End: Stephen Collins, Marguerite de Waal, Lekan Balogun and Ifeoluwa Aboluwade.
More scenes from Shakespeare Towards An End: Ifeoluwa Aboluwade (left) with Naomi Nkealah of Wits University (centre) and conference keynote speaker, Jyotsna Singh, from Michigan State University (right); Henry Bell discusses South African Shakespeares; and Linda Ritchie presents her doctoral research on the use of translanguaging in teaching Shakespeare.
The videos below offer a taste of the rehearsed reading of scenes from Olórógun Caesar! by the Drama Factory Ensemble (Mava Silumko, Khanyiso Thakholi, Yongisipho Mtimkulu, Buhle Sam, Yamkela Ntendiyo and Sibusiso Maranxa). You’ll have to turn your sound up ... it was a windy afternoon at Spier ...
Finally, here is a recording of Ifeoluwa Aboluwade’s hybrid seminar presentation, "Playing with the Un/Dead: Translation, Memory and the Politics of Identity in Femi Osofisan’s Wesoo Hamlet".