The deadline has been extended for submissions (oral or poster presentations) for the 10th International Conference of Carnival & Masquerade Arts, taking place at The University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, from December 4 to 8, 2023. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 8:00pm on Friday, July 21, 2023. This year’s theme is “Rhythm of a People: Tradition, Connection, Innovation and Decolonisation.”

Description: The 10th International Conference of Carnival & Masquerade Arts: Rhythm of a People: Tradition, Connection, Innovation and Decolonisation organising team invites participants to present at this landmark event.

Following successful conferences in London from 2006 to 2021 and Oxford (2022), this will be the first conference taking place in Africa and explores the origins of Carnival and Masquerade Arts and the decolonised cultural expressions emerging out of the trauma of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The conference will be delivered in collaboration with the Department of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, and the Peace and Conflict Department, Faculties of Cultural Affairs, History & Cultural Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, the second oldest university in Sub Saharan Africa.

In addition to academic researchers, the conference will bring together, African and Caribbean visual arts and masquerade practitioners, calypso, steelpan, and traditional master drummers and percussion musicians, DJs, filmmakers and members of African Chieftaincy houses and communities, Caribbean carnival organisations and universities from the UK, Africa, the Caribbean, and America.

The conference will explore the binding force of rhythm and performance arts as a decolonizing approach and mode of meaning making in the negotiation of peace, conflict and resistance through Carnival and Masquerade arts practices both on the African continent and in its Diaspora. It will also be an opportunity to exchange knowledge and share experiences and practices around multiple themes towards establishing a unique, co-designed, sustainable global platform and network. There will also be a 5-day Mask making workshop accompanying the conference including Sierra Leonean Egungun, Poro and Bondo (female) and other masquerade traditions.

The main aim of the conference and accompanying activities is to serve as an affirmation and celebration of shared cultural heritage expression through the creative and liberatory traditions, interconnections, and innovations such as Carnival, Steelpan and Masquerade art practices in their various forms.

Papers should respond to but are not limited to the following themes: Breaking Down Barriers, Resistance, Revolution, Emancipation and Colonial Legacy; The Business of Carnival as a Unificatory Practice – Cultural Tourism, Sponsorship, Sustainability of the Vehicles of Carnival, Copyright, International Property Rights (IPR) and Repository; Carnival and Storytelling Through the Prism of the Calypsonian and the African Griot; Destination Africa – Cultural Shifts of the Steelband Movement from Trinidad to New/Original Homelands; Immersive Art, Global Carnivals and Masquerade: New Technologies, Unveiling the Mystery of Central Figures in Traditional and Contemporary Mas; Gender and Performance in Contemporary Soca, Steelpan, Drumming, Masquerade Arts and Secret Society Practices; A Global Network for Carnival and Masquerade Arts Practices – Synergies between Academic Institutions and Practitioners; Dance as a Bloodline Re-memory – The Golden Thread where Masquerade to Dancehall, Traditional Court Dance to Contemporary Afrobeat, Collide with Carnival Road March; Greener Carnival and Masquerade Practices – the Case for Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability; Carnival and The Rise of Sound System Culture – Exploring the Relevance and Impact of Sound System technology; and From Skin to Steelpan Drums: Taking Trinidad’s Gift to the World Back to its African Roots.

REGISTRATION FEES
£25 university affiliated delegates and general public
£10 African university affiliated students and general public
Full concessions available, to apply contact info@maestro7.co.uk

HOW TO SUBMIT ABSTRACT(S): Please send your abstract(s) as an email attachment with a short note indicating your interest and the title: The 10th International Conference of Carnival & Masquerade Arts 2023 Abstract in the subject box to the following email address: info@maestro7.co.uk

For information on the 10th International Conference of Carnival & Masquerade Arts and the International Journal of Carnival Arts please visit https://www.steelpanconference.com/

DEADLINES
Submission of Abstracts: 8pm on Friday 21st July – email abstracts to info@maestro7.co.uk
Notification of Successful Submissions: Friday 28th July

Successful applicants will be required to submit their full conference presentation by: 8pm on Friday, 3rd November 2023, as a special edition of the peer reviewed International Journal of Carnival Arts (IJCA) will be published in early February 2024 featuring presentations from the 10th International Conference on Carnival and Masquerade Arts. Please confirm in your email submission if you would like your presentation to be considered for inclusion within the IJCA journal. There will be an opportunity for contributors to rework or tweak their conference presentations for inclusion, and the November 3rd submissions will be used to give a rough indication of the possible grouping and spacing for the journal.

INFORMATION FOR PRESENTERS: Individual abstracts or full panel proposals (including the names and abstracts for each panel member) should include the presenter’s name, affiliation and/or institution, email address, title(s), and a 250-300 word abstract. An additional 250-word description should provide an overview of any panel proposals. Applications are also open for poster presentations in line with the themes outlined above for Carnival and Masquerade artists/practitioners, students, and early career academics.

The conference will be face-to-face, on campus at the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra but there will be opportunities to participate in a limited number of remote online events. Please give an expression of interest if you wish to present remotely. [. . .]   For more information, see https://www.steelpanconference.com/