African Theatre Association conference will bring together delegates from eighteen countries
Academics
2 April 2026
The second call for participation at this year’s African Theatre Association conference (AfTA 2026) closed on 31 March 2026.
At the time of closing, the conference organising committee had accepted 75 abstracts, inclusive of performances, workshops and panel discussions alongside paper presentations. The accepted presenters make a total headcount of 92 potential delegates representing 18 countries. This number includes South African academics from ten universities who are set to represent the country.
The theme for the 2026 conference is Interartistic Afrikan performing arts in the 21st century: De/Post-colonial performance, places, pedagogies. The conference convenors are Professor Janine Lewis and Professor Owen Seda, both from the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT’s) Department of Performing Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Design, which will be hosting AfTA 2026. The conference will be held at the TUT’s vibrant Arts campus from 8 to 10 July 2026.
The City of Tshwane is a strategic partner and it will be supporting this intellectual engagement with our national and international delegates in the capital city of Pretoria. Two other partners have respectively extended their collaboration by offering to host the last day of the conference at Freedom Park, with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place at the South African State Theatre on the evening of 7 July 2026.
The conference has identified two leading academic forums for publication. The APR – African Performance Review, which is a bi-annual peer-reviewed journal of the African Theatre Association, will publish a conference proceeding while Taylor & Francis’ South African Theatre Journal - SATJ has agreed to publish a special issue.
There is still space for you to attend as a non-presenter.
Register now, to secure your spot!
Apply HERE
[ or use this link https://forms.gle/fL3iBLjNt8bAzriE8 ] or email afta2026@tut.ac.za & confereneces@african-theatre.org
Early bird registration opened on 16 March 2026; and full price registration commences from 1 May 2026.
Single-day registration
Students: R270
African: R670
Other countries: R1 170
Early bird full conference registration
(until 30 April 2026)
Students: R600
African: R1 200
Other countries: R3 090
Full conference registration
(From 1 May 2026)
Students: R800
African: R2 000
Other countries: R3 500
Once you apply to register, a personalised invoice will be sent to you with the payment details, along with the AfTA2026 booklet detailing accommodation opportunities and more.
We look forward to welcoming you at AfTA2026. Don’t miss out on the action, apply today!
Read more about the conference planning here: https://www.tut.ac.za/newsroom/all-news/2026/the-countdown-to-the-afta-conference-has-begun-exchange-ideas-knowledge-and-information-on-african-theatre-and-performance.php
Applicants are reminded that they will be required to pay AfTA membership fees to be able to participate in the conference. Further details on AfTA membership are available on the following link: https://africantheatreassociation.org/.
