From Accra to Venice: How Lesley Lokko Is Building the Future of Design

Lesley Lokko is revolutionizing architecture by challenging its Eurocentric roots and championing African perspectives. From her early days feeling alienated by conventional teachings to launching the African Futures Institute in Accra, Lokko has redefined what design education can be. Now, her Nomadic African Studio offers young creatives a space to explore architecture through identity, climate, and migration. Lokko, the first African woman to win the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal and to curate the Venice Biennale, intends to rewrite the narrative and shift Africa from knowledge recipient to knowledge generator. Her unconventional journey—from novelist to educator—has shaped her mission to teach not just how to build, but how to think. Now, she’s mentoring a new generation to imagine bold, inclusive futures in design.

CNN