Sunday, 14 December | 13.00-14.00 | Academia Theatre (Islamia Auditorium) 

What would Shakespeare have known about Muslims? What kinds of economic, political, and cultural relationships existed between European monarchs and powerful Muslim empires like the Ottomans, Mughals, and Safavids in the Renaissance? How did these relations shape the Muslim characters and geographies that are present or absent in Shakespeare's plays? 

Internationally acclaimed authors and Shakespearean scholars Prof Ambereen Dadabhoy (Harvey Mudd College, CA, USA) and Dr Lubaaba Al-Azami (Queen Mary University of London, UK) will be in conversation with Dr Hassana Moosa (University of Cape Town) to explore these questions and more

Over the past few decades, scholars have shown that Shakespeare's world was far more interconnected and globalised than historians had previously acknowledged. This workshop explores how some of this history can be useful to teaching Shakespeare to school students in South Africa now.

We invite you to join us for an informal 'breakfast brainstorm' session, to reflect together on the challenges for teaching Shakespeare in South Africa today, and to creatively explore the teaching value of new historical approaches to Shakespeare's plays.

Join us for a special performance of Shakespeare to Gaza, in association with MemOrients, followed by a panel discussion. 

In November 2023, the ASHTAR Theatre in Ramallah issued a global call for artists to perform the “Gaza Monologues,” written by artists under siege. A searing monologue by “Ali,” titled “From Gaza to Shakespeare,” is a deep yearning call for Shakespeare to “get up” and inspire the people of Gaza amid darkness and despair. 

This performance is a response to this monologue. International human rights instruments are failing to intervene in the avalanche of brutality and injustice against Palestinians. We make an offering in the urgency of the moment, with our voices and bodies weaving together Shakespearean works with the Gaza Monologues as a motif of liberation and resistance. 

It has been two years since we first performed Shakespeare To Gaza. Our hearts are broken, but our spirits are with the Palestinians, and will be until, From the River to the Sea, Palestine is Free. 

We are a group of artists who have committed to this pro bono. 

Cast: 

Megan Choritz

Tauriq Jenkins

Nina Callaghan

Sara Matchett

Stembiso Sibanda

Jasmine Toffar

Nandi Tavares Calburn

Tamara Dubeni

Kwanele Sola