Heather Brookes

The first conference on gesture on the African continent will focus on the rich diversity of human gestural communication. Gestures and gestural behaviour are dynamic and changing varying not only across languages and cultures, but also within cultural groups. The main aim of this conference will be to examine the wide range of linguistic and cultural phenomena and other factors that influence and shape gestural diversity. Special emphasis will be on comparative work looking at, but not limited to: Studies on gestural form, meaning and function; The relationship of gesture to language, whether spoken or signed; Gesture in language development and learning among children in different cultures and multilingual contexts; Gesture in language learning and conceptual development; Individual variation in gesture use and comprehension;The link between gesture and cognitive, cultural and linguistic diversity; Studies of gestural forms and practices across languages and cultures; Gesture and its role in sign language variation. A special focus will be on the anthropology of gesture, bodily action and their relationship to the communicative ecology of different social groups with a special focus, but not limited to, work in the African context and the global south.