Doctoral Candidate Kanya Viljoen

Kanya Viljoen is a South African artist and scholar who works in various fields as a writer, performer and activist. Kanya is a PhD candidate in English Philology at Heidelberg University and forms part of the The Heidelberg Graduate School for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HGGS). Kanya completed her MA Theatre and Performance (Cum Laude) at the University of Cape Town as an Andrew W Mellon scholar, forming a part of the Re-Imagining the Tragedy from Africa and the Global South project. She is a founding member of Unusual Bones. an interdisciplinary creative company working in both film, theatre and performance art. Kanya has received numerous awards, bursaries and nominations for her work as a writer, director and performer in both theatre and film. This includes the KykNet Fiësta for Best Upcoming Artist; SA Theatre Magazine’s Best Emerging Director Award; Best Director at New Renaissance Film Festival, Jozi Film Festival and winning the Silver Screen award for her short film at Cannes YDA Awards. Her ongoing research seeks to create a decolonised and intersectional approach to protests and acts of activism, as various translations and narrations of lived realities She has published in the South African Theatre Journal, the Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe and Voertaal.