Last week, MEMOs had the pleasure of hosting its inaugural conference at the University of Cape Town centered around cultural, religious, material, literary, and political encounters across the global Middle Ages and Renaissance. The conference was attended by both in-person and online delegates from countries around the globe to discuss the interactions between "Muslims and their non-Muslim counterparts in the ‘West’ –or the Global South and Global North respectively – have long been and remain a fundamental site of excavation for this history."

Over the course of four exciting days, attendees listened to a series of papers over the span of 15 panels that covered topics such as Shakespeare and his role in the Islamic world, early modern and late medieval travel narratives, the intersection of race and religion in premodern literature, and colonial and decolonial legacies of literature and art history (See the full programme here). One of the strengths of the conference was the ability of in-person and online delegates to hear panels, plenary talks, and performances in real time.

In-person attendees at the conference dinner on Friday, December 12th.

Some of the highlights for in-person delegates were the visit to the Castle of the Cape of Good Hope and the performance of "Shakespeare to Gaza' - A South African Performance Response to the Gaza Monologues" on Saturday, December 13th. The morning field trip to the Castle of Good Hope allowed attendees to explore the seventeenth century fortification built by the Dutch East India Company to replace the Fort of Good Hope built in 1652. Later that evening, delegates watched an incredible performance of "Shakespeare to Gaza," an ensemble performance, in collaboration with the UCT, Centre for Dance, Theatre and Performance Studies and local artists and theatre practitioners. This performance combines elements of William Shakespeare's plays with the "Gaza Monologues"--written by Palestinians under occupation in the Gaza Strip to explore themes of resistance, colonization, oppression, and liberation by and for Palestinian voices. In-person delegates were very fortunate to watch this performance and hear directly from the UCT performers who have been performing "Shakespeare to Gaza" since 2023.

Visit to the Castle of Good Hope.

Online delegates were fortunate to attend all panels and most events throughout the conference. One of the most important and fruitful online events was the Khayaal Theatre Company's Jesus Christ, A Muslim Nativity, hosted via Zoom by Jessica Minieri (News Editor) and Aisha Hussain (Events Editor). Attendees got to watch a performance of Christ's birth as described in the Quran and performed by the Khayaal Theatre Company. The performance is still streaming on MEMOs YouTube channel and can be watched here until December 25th.

Dr Aisha Hussain's cat even attended some online panels!

The conference concluded on Sunday, December 14th with three fantastic events: "Breakfast and Brainstorm: Teaching Shakespeare with Inclusive Histories," "Muslims in Shakespeare's Wor(l)ds" Roundtable, and the Closing Plenary - ‘Marlowe’s Muslim Journey in Tamburlaine - Reading the Islamicate World in Early Modern Drama" by Dr. Jyotsna Singh. The Roundtable, "Muslims and Shakespeare's Wor(l)ds" was a joint conversation with Dr Lubaaba Al-Azami, Dr. Ambereen Dadabhoy, and Dr Hassana Moosa to discuss the many interactions between William Shakespeare's words, his worlds, and the Islamic world in both the early modern and modern periods.

We would like to thank all in-person and online delegates, our speakers from around the globe, our keynote and plenary speakers--especially, Dr. Ambereen Dadabhoy, Dr. Jyotsna Singh, Dr. Su Fang Ng, and Dr Gabeba Baderoon--, the MEMOs Editorial Board--especially Dr. Hassana Moosa--for their work and collaboration for making this conference possible.