Abstract:
The African festivalscape has yet to be traversed from the angle of decoloniality,
which points to it requiring some ‘unmaking’ and ‘remaking’, to transform it
into an entity relatable to its environments. Thus, the lagging behind of the
African sphere in festival development may be attributed to a misunderstanding
of the ‘African festival’ construct. This is symptomatic of the residue of colonial
hangover observed through systems that still personify former colonisers.
This conceptual study seeks to advance festival theory development, by
offering insights on festival coloniality deterrents and potential opportunities
that may accrue from the decolonisation of the African festivalscape.
