Making Our Own Table: African Theatre and Performance in the UK

Event information

MAKING OUR OWN TABLE: AFRICAN THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE IN THE UK

This is not a conversation. This is a movement.

We are no longer asking for a seat at existing tables. We are building our own.
Join us for a powerful symposium that brings together leading creatives, academics and cultural thinkers from across the UK and the global African diaspora. This is a national call to action that demands more than talk. It is designed to drive impact, accountability and legacy.

OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

-Yvonne Battle-Felton is an acclaimed novelist, storyteller and Professor whose writing centres Black history, memory and liberation.

-Abiodun Olatokunbo Abdul is a visionary cultural strategist and advocate for African performing arts, recognised for championing new systems of artistic leadership and community empowerment.

-Dr Dayo Eseonu is a leading researcher on equity and organisational change, known for her groundbreaking work on structural racism and representation in the creative industries.

-Dr Peter Olusoga, an internationally respected psychologist and broadcaster, brings vital insight into resilience, identity and the lived realities of Black excellence under pressure.

- Dr Kesewa John, a dynamic historian and creative practitioner, is reshaping how we understand Black British histories, diasporic identity and cultural memory.

Together, they represent a powerful, multidisciplinary force — voices who do not simply comment on the industry but actively shape its future.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Throughout the day, you will take part in a dynamic programme of panel discussions, action labs, provocations, breakout rooms and collective drafting sessions. These activities draw on African artistic traditions, oral storytelling, embodied practice and iconic works such as Crown of Blood and Death and the King’s Horseman.
Together we will interrogate:
• Structural racism in the arts
• Power, representation and authorship
• Diasporic identity and the politics of storytelling
• The systems that must change
• The legacies we choose to build now
This is a space for truth telling, coalition building, and bold new thinking. No performative statements. No symbolic gestures. Only actionable steps and shared responsibility.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome and Opening Circle
Keynote Artistic Provocations
Lunch + Intent Corner
Action Labs and Breakout Sessions
Plenary Panel Responding to Lab Outputs
Collective Manifesto Drafting + Commitment Circle
Networking and Social Gathering
Evening performance: Crown of Blood (Standard ticket)

END THE DAY WITH A WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE

Your standard ticket includes access to the opening night of Crown of Blood, Utopia Theatre’s spectacular new Yorùbá adaptation of Macbeth, co-produced with Sheffield Theatres. African total theatre at its best. Shakespeare as you have never seen it before.

TICKET OPTIONS
BASIC: Symposium entry only
STANDARD: Symposium entry + Crown of Blood opening night + Utopia T-shirt
(Please email info@utopiatheatre.co.uk with your preferred size.)