Performance, Orature, and Social Change in Africa

This course engages live performance and orature as genres of knowledge production and cultural self-determination on the African continent. In group dialogues, presentations, and team projects, we will explore audience-responsive, live literary and storytelling arts as a vital mode of sociopolitical reflection, deliberation, and imagination in historical and contemporary regional contexts. Students will build on research-based, faculty-directed, in-class projects to present a live, public performance for the African Studies Center's annual conference, and collaboratively contribute materials for NC K-16 classroom curricula. All are welcome: prior arts experience helpful but not required.