Tongues of their Mothers: a symposium on feminist historiographies

The Institute for Creative Arts (ICA) is proud to announce Tongues of their Mothers: a symposium on feminist historiographies to be held from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 September 2022.

The symposium brings together artists, writers, curators and scholars to engage critically with emergent strategies for conducting feminist historiography. Drawing from a multitude of disciplines, the symposium seeks to better understand the ways that mostly women have responded to the daunting task, described in the last stanza of Makhosazana Xaba’s poem Tongues of their Mothers, to “write about women of our world, in the tongues of their mothers”, and “present the women in forms that match their foundations...”

Keynote speakers and panelists will share the challenges and innovations that have arisen in their work of excavating, and paying tribute to, feminist lineages of knowledge and knowledge production; interrogating institutional archives; unearthing women’s stories and exposing their continued erasure; and establishing the interdisciplinary connections necessary for conducting this work.

We are thrilled to have the opening address delivered by poet, activist and scholar, Makhosazana Xaba; and the symposium’s second keynote address by author, playwright and scholar, Dr Nadia Davids.

The Sunday 18 September programme of the symposium will be hosted by, and in proud collaboration with, the Norval Foundation

Find the schedule below and register for the symposium here

Still image from Toil a short film by Helena Uambembe

• Day 1 | Friday 16 September at UCT Hiddingh Campus

   

  

   

• Day 2 | Saturday 17 September at UCT Hiddingh Campus

   

  

   

   

• Day 3 | Sunday 18 September at Norval Foundation

   

   

  

   

   

 

 

With the support of the Norval Foundation.