Organisers of the 2025 edition of the Festival of Art and Discourse (FOAD) have announced that the academic/art event will take place from Thursday, September 25 to Saturday, September 27,2025.
The three-day festival titled, “Intersect & Intertwine” parades leading theatre scholars including academics from diverse fields across continents.
A statement by the organisers stated that some of the presenters are from Canada, United States of America, Nigeria, Ecuador, Germany and the United Kingdom among others.
The festival director, Prof. Taiwo Afolabi, who also leads the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (C-SET), at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, said that FOAD 2025, was an initiative of C-SET’s partner, Theatre Emissary International (TEMi) and its social enterprise, Mobile Research L.
He stated that it was not a coincidence that they gave the centre the right to host the festival two years in a row.
Mr Afolabi stated, “This is a testament to intersectoral partnership. So, thank you to the team at TEMi/MRL for believing in us. This year’s theme “Intersect and Intertwine,” offers an evocative framework to explore the complex nuanced and layered nature of both art and other disciplines and the connections to human relationships’’
He noted that there were over 30 presentations that included film screenings, performances, workshops, plenaries, and paper presentations from more than 60 presenters from roughly 10 countries from four continents.
According to Mr Afolabi, the festival is envisioned as spaces of encounter, intellectual curiosity, and authentic engagement. A gathering where town and gown truly meet.
He noted, “To this end, I want to thank everyone involved in making this festival happen. I appreciate our keynote plenary speakers, presenters, moderators, and participants. This gathering of communities is set to foster new community-connections across the superficial barriers between life and academia, art and industry; holding space where identities, disciplines, geographies, and social positions can converge in intricate and unpredictable ways.’’
Some of the presenters are Dr Abayomi Adegbamigbe from the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Nigeria, Prof. Taiwo Afolabi; a Nigerian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist-scholar at the University of Regina, Darci Anderson from York University, Toronto, Canada; Alexandra Apesland, an interdisciplinary master’s student in psychology and anthropology at the University of Regina; Dr Oluyinka Smart Babalola, an actor and director from the University of Ibadan and; Hafiz Oyetoro, acting and directing lecturer at the Lagos State University.
Others are Luis Santafe Chango, an artist from Coto Paxi, Ecuador; Collen Conroy, an acting professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kate Cushon, a librarian at the University of Regina and labor activist, Blessing Fatoyinbo, Moira Day, Aspen Enzo, Cat C. Haines and Anna Mudde, Soni Dasmohapatra, Jia Jia Young and Jeannine Kroening (Ember), Christine Janssen and Yogini Jog Lejar among many others.
The special guests included Prof. Aziz Douai, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Regina, Dr. David Gregory, interim provost and vice president (Academic) at the University of Regina and Prof. Chris Yost of the university’s Biology Department.
The statement identified the moderators as Oyije Abah, Abayomi Adegbamigbe, Taiwo Afolabi, Segun Afolabi, Joseph Atoyebi, Sara Ilori, Sola John, Wes Pearce, Heather Phipps and Kathryn Ricketss. Also, the keynote speakers are Dr Emily Grafton from the University of Manitoba; Erin Oldford, dean and professor of finance at the Hill and Levene School of Business, University of Regina, and Rhonda Rosenburg, Executive Director from the University of Manitoba.
