Asymmetries in Language and Power

In this talk, Henning Bochert is joined by Eve Leigh and Inua Ellams whose work Henning has translated. He will examine translation as a dynamic cultural practice that influences how societies perceive and engage with each other. Drawing on his extensive experience in theatre, literature, and intercultural collaboration, Bochert will unpack both artistic, and political dimensions of translation. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how translators shape cultural narratives and foster cross-border dialogue.

This event will be moderated by Prof Wangui Wa Goro, Kenyan academic, social critic, researcher, translator and writer based in the UK. As a public intellectual she has an interest in the development of African languages and literatures, as well as being consistently involved with the promotion of literary translation internationally, regularly speaking and writing on the subject.
She has translated the works of award-winning authors, including Ngugi wa Thiong’o satire Matigari from Gikuyu into English, as well as Veronique Tadjo’s book A vol d’oiseau (As the Crow Flies, from French.

This event will be held in English and you can follow it via live stream. The link will follow here and on the event page.

Fri 13 Feb 2026 | 5 pm
School of Oriental and African Studies/SOAS – G3 in London
Reserve a spot here (admission is free)

The event is brought to you by CAS in collaboration with SIDENSI and SLCL Tafsiri Research Culture Group.

Henning Bochert works as a writer, dramatic advisor/dramaturge, lecturer and literary as well as a certified translator in Berlin. His plays have been produced at theatres in Berlin, Leipzig, and Frankfurt/Main. He translated Eve Leigh, Dawn King, George Brant, Rhea Leman, Adam Rapp and others into German and Özlem Dündar, Christoph Hein, Martin Heckmanns into English. His prose was published in several literary magazines. Bochert is a member of Drama Panorama: Forum for Translation and Theater e. V. , an international platform for theatre translators, and of raum4-netzwerk für künstlerische alltagsbewältigung e. v. , a producing organisation. He is also a member of VdÜ, Germany’s Association of Literary Translators, and BDÜ, the German Association of Translators and Interpreters, of the Weltlesebühne, of The Fence, and of the Susan Glaspell International Society. He runs his own translation agency Bochert Translations.

Inua Ellams was born in Nigeria, he is a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer and founder of: The Midnight Run (an arts-filled, night-time, urban walking experience.), The Rhythm and Poetry Party (The R.A.P Party) which celebrates live literature and music, and Poetry + Film / Hack (P+F/H) which celebrates poetry and film. Identity, Displacement & Destiny are reoccurring themes in his work, where he tries to mix the old with the new: traditional African oral storytelling with contemporary poetics, paint with pixel, texture with vector. His books are published by Flipped Eye, Akashic, Nine Arches, Penned In The Margins & Bloomsbury. www.inuaellams.com

Eve Leigh is an award-winning, internationally recognised writer for performance.
Plays include Frankenstein Adjusts His Ring Light (And Then Starts Dancing) (Donmar Warehouse schools tour); Salty Irina (Paines Plough, Schauspielhaus Wien); Wildfire Road (Sheffield Theatres, Theater Bonn, Theaterhaus G7 Mannheim, Theater Lüneburg); Pinocchio (Unicorn Theatre); Midnight Movie (Royal Court UK, Theater Dessau, Theater Giessen, Honos Theater Athens).
Digital works include words fail: a fortune-telling game (Coney); Ghost Pine (Audible); The Delegation (Coney/Точка доступа); Invisible Summer (Royal Court); Your Future(HAU/Sophiensaele/Ballhaus Ost/Camden People’s Theatre).
Awards include Nestroy Prize Best Play 2025, Berlin Theatertreffen Stückemarkt selection 2021, Jerwood/Royal Court New Playwright Award 2019.
www.eveleighwriter.co.uk