Dakar Translation Symposium 2026- Abu Dhabi

“Africa and Her Hospitality”

About DTS

Since its inception, DTS has cultivated critical discourses investigating the multifaceted dimensions of Africa and her diasporas, examining the future of the humanities while promoting international collaboration within the Black Diaspora and beyond. The first edition, convened in 2022, was held at Cheikh Anta Diop University in the Symposium's namesake city of Dakar, Senegal. The second edition in 2024 led DTS to Accra, at the University of Ghana. For this third edition, DTS will enjoy the hospitality of NYU Abu Dhabi.

DTS-Abu Dhabi

"Hospitality" is, incidentally, our theme for DTS-Abu Dhabi. DTS has continually reimagined what stability means in a world challenged by sudden and significant change. This iteration will continue to allow us to celebrate the UAE's resilience in the face of global and regional tensions while exploring the many relevant dimensions of mutual exchange and the care of others, which are meanings of the Latin root hospes as well as core tenets in our theory of translation.

A Note on “Translation”

This symposium conceives TRANSLATION as a mode of thought that allows for intellectual spaces and communities of practice to transcend colonial structures of separation and open spaces for new possibilities of gathering. It encourages translation across boundaries of language, discipline, and culture, as modes of engagement that are multilingual, translingual, collaborative, interdisciplinary, communal, and transnational.

Target Community

DTS welcomes participation from academic and creative communities of all disciplines and backgrounds, including artists, writers, creative practitioners, researchers, and scholars at all career stages.

Call for Papers

The call for papers is available in Arabic, English, French, and Wolof, all attached here for your reference. Please submit a detailed, no-less-than-250-word abstract with a 100-word author’s biography, academic affiliation, and e-mail address by July 15, 2026, to both sjm9701@nyu.edu (Sara MUSAIFER) and ma6896@nyu.edu (Muneera Al-KHALIFA).

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Muneera Al-KHALIFA at ma6896@nyu.edu if you have any questions.

Follow our Instagram page @dakartranslationsymposium for conference updates and highlights.

We look forward to welcoming you in hospitality in Abu Dhabi this October!