About this Event
Join us on Thursday 12 November for a panel discussion with scholars Dr Bernadette Buckley, Dr Vivienne Jabri, and film curator Abiba Coulibaly, chaired by scholar Dr Anna Adima.
This talk is the third and final of a symposium of three panel discussions programmed around the new Chisenhale Gallery commission, Kibuuka Omumbaale by Wakaliga Uganda. The symposium explores Wakaliga Uganda’s reappropriation and subversion of the figure of the superhero and other film genre conventions as a means of engaging with the cultural residues of global power struggles.
This final panel approaches the superhero as a figure shaped by war, conflict, and resistance, to explore how contemporary and transgenerational experiences of violence are processed, represented and reimagined through the lens of comedy and popular culture. Bringing together questions of self-representation, self-determination and the political aesthetics of war and laughter, the discussion considers violence not only as a subject but as a vehicle for worldbuilding and collective meaning-making.
Please Note
This is a free event with limited capacity, please only book a ticket if you’re able to attend. If your plans change, please cancel your ticket as soon as possible so that we can offer the place to others.
Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the event begins, Chisenhale Gallery reserves the right to refuse entry.
Biographies
Dr Anna Adima is a writer, researcher and educator whose work explores the histories, literatures and creative cultures of East Africa. Currently a Lecturer in Modern African History at Durham University, she has previously worked in Uganda as a journalist and in the cultural sector. She holds a PhD in East African history and literature.
Dr Bernadette Buckley is an academic and writer specialising in the relationship between art, politics and conflict. Convenor of the MA Global Politics: Art and Activism at Goldsmiths, University of London, she is author of 'Mud, Blood and Wooden Guns: Violence, Laughter and Worldmaking in Wakaliwood, Uganda' (2026, forthcoming); 'Art, Witness and the Many Ecologies of War' (2026); 'In Possession of Weapons: Guns and Violences in the Work of Contemporary Women Artists' (2025).
Dr Vivienne Jabri is Professor of International Politics at King's College London. She is Principal Investigator on a European Research Council Advanced project, Mapping Injury, and a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Studies Association. She has authored several books, including Worlds in Conflict: War and the Limits of Politics (MIT Press, 2025).
Abiba Coulibaly is an Anglo-Ivorian film programmer with a background in critical geography. She founded the Brixton Community Cinema and the Atlas Cinema in London, and facilitated the UK premieres of several radical documentaries from the African continent. She has programmed film at institutions such as the BFI, the ICA, the Barbican, and Autograph ABP in London, as well as internationally in Berlin, Venice, and Dakar.
Access
This event will be taking place at Chisenhale Gallery. Chisenhale Gallery has flat access with an all-genders, fully accessible toilet. This event will be seated. Earplugs and ear guards are available for visitors to use. This event will be documented for marketing and archival purposes.
We are committed to ensuring our events are accessible for all. Please contact [email protected] to discuss your access needs. We will endeavour to meet all requests where possible. Please be advised that requests should be made two weeks in advance of the event.
Event venue & nearby stays
Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, London, United Kingdom
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