The Association of Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS) triennial conference under the title “ʽStories that float from afar.’ Ideas of Postcolonial Culture: Inclusions and Exclusions” took place at the University of Stellenbosch, with support from the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, the Cape Technikon, and the District Six Museum, all of whom hosted one-day sessions. The success of the conference, which brought together some 330 scholars from 20 Commonwealth and 18 non-Commonwealth countries, exceeded all expectations. The first time ACLALS has been able to return to Africa since 1974, major aims were to facilitate participation by scholars from sub-Saharan Africa, who often have difficulty attending conferences in other regions, to stimulate interest in Commonwealth Literature and to reinvigorate the Southern African branch, which now has representatives across the region. We were happy to welcome West Africa as the tenth branch of the association. Suitably inspired by the Stellenbosch meeting, the South Pacific branch took on hosting the next ACLALS Triennial which will take place in Auckland. The host will be Selina Tusitala Marsh, who some will remember as the Samoan/NZ poet who gave a memorable performance at the 2016 Commonwealth Day Observance in Westminster Abbey.
