‘Performative Trans-Actions: Innovation, Creativity & Enterprise in African Theatre’ is the 2011 annual international conference of the African Theatre Association (AfTA). The conference will be held at Swansea Metropolitan University, Wales UK from the 21st to 23rd July 2011, and will be hosted by the Centre for Innovative Performance Practice & Research (CiPPR).

This international conference will examine how recent advances in global citizenship, technology, economics and trans/intercultural transactions and borrowings have impacted on theatre and performance in Africa. Taking a lead from recent debate about significant challenges facing African theatre practice, we seek to broaden that discussion to include many ingenious solutions adopted to tackle them by exploring the trio of innovation, creativity and enterprise from different perspectives, including contacts, dealings and connections across cultures, discipline and media.

Sub-themes include, but are not limited to:
§ Intercultural/Postcolonial transactions
§ Dance: Urban practices and practitioners
§ Looking to Africa: Trends in diaspora performance
§ New writings, emerging practitioners, forms and practices
§ Globalization, citizenship and identity in performance
§ Entrepreneurship and theatre management
§ Impact of new media and technology
§ Creative collaborations/new partnerships
§ Connecting communities: Theatre and social change
§ National theatres and theatre infrastructure

Researchers, scholars and practitioners interested in African theatre, drama and performance are invited to submit abstracts/proposals of 250-300 words (with a 150 words biography) by Tuesday, 1 February 2011 to the conference convener (kene.igweonu@smu.ac.uk).