Surafel Wondimu Abebe, Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Theory at The Africa Institute presented his latest research at the 2025 African Literature Association Conference, themed, “Ecologies of Transition: Spaces and Mobilities in African Literatures and Cultures,” held June 25–28 in Nairobi, Kenya.
His paper, “Time-Space of Waiting: Thinking through the European Guantánamo,” examines the spatial and temporal dimensions of migration, detention, and border regimes through an analysis of Dagmawi Yimer’s experimental documentary film Waiting.
Spatial, temporal, and ecological transitions within African narrative spaces will be the focus of this conference. This included narratives depicting communities in flux, families enduring forced migration, and the horrors of trafficking, as well as identities formed in mobile spaces, individuals moving within magical time frames, and resilient and resistant social relationships.
Abebe’s broader research explores representational practices and the politics of cultural memory, drawing on performance studies, media, and embodied historiographies.
This presentation further showcases The Africa Institute’s commitment to advancing impactful research that engages with critical cultural and social issues. For more information about Surafel Wondimu Abebe and his work, please visit his faculty profile.
Surafel Wondimu Abebe, Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Theory at The Africa Institute presented his latest research at the 2025 African Literature Association Conference, themed, “Ecologies of Transition: Spaces and Mobilities in African Literatures and Cultures,” held June 25–28 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Surafel Wondimu Abebe, Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Theory at The Africa Institute presented his latest research at the 2025 African Literature Association Conference, themed, “Ecologies of Transition: Spaces and Mobilities in African Literatures and Cultures,” held June 25–28 in Nairobi, Kenya.
His paper, “Time-Space of Waiting: Thinking through the European Guantánamo,” examines the spatial and temporal dimensions of migration, detention, and border regimes through an analysis of Dagmawi Yimer’s experimental documentary film Waiting.
Spatial, temporal, and ecological transitions within African narrative spaces will be the focus of this conference. This included narratives depicting communities in flux, families enduring forced migration, and the horrors of trafficking, as well as identities formed in mobile spaces, individuals moving within magical time frames, and resilient and resistant social relationships.
Abebe’s broader research explores representational practices and the politics of cultural memory, drawing on performance studies, media, and embodied historiographies.
This presentation further showcases The Africa Institute’s commitment to advancing impactful research that engages with critical cultural and social issues. For more information about Surafel Wondimu Abebe and his work, please visit his faculty profile.
Subscribe to our mailing list and get the latest news from The Africa Institute
