This conversation aims to interrogate how Africa features in global theory on and policy practices of climate change and related phenomena, including the Anthropocene and “green transitions.” In particular, we seek to foreground how the experiences within African cities can nuance these discourses and practices.
We seek to elicit more voices in framing and debating climate emergencies in Africa, including from activists and scholars who don't work in the field. There is an urgent need to localise and decolonise our experiences of climate emergencies in both theory and practice. For the next generation of African urban scholars, it is important for us to work towards co-creating imaginations to stem — and theorise — the many interrelated challenges that continue to make our cities and scholarship unequal.
Join us: We invite grassroots activists, practitioners, students and academics (in particular, early career scholars) to participate in this one-day event. The conversation will center around what we need to change in climate emergency discussions so that they may reflect our urban realities.
While our speakers are established academics and practitioners, we encourage early-career scholars from across East Africa to participate in this event. We seek to support co-learning, co-mentoring and network building to encourage democratic access to diverse urban studies platforms.
Apply to participate at this link
This event - the closing of UTA-Do 2023 workshop - is an occation to meet and interact with two of Nairobi's most highly regarded artists, James Mweu and Peterson Kamwathi. Both in person and online, the two artists will engage in a conversation about how their different practices (dance/theatre and visual arts) can engage public space in a city like Nairobi. The exchange will be moderated by The GoDown Arts Centre's executive director Joy Mboya, with imputs Dr Willie J. Wright, who is assistant professor at Rutgers University (jointly in the Geography and Africana Studies department), as well as one of UTA-Do 2023 guest kenynote speakers.
Online partecipation is possible at this link.
This event is a collaboration between UTA-Do, The GoDown Arts Centre Nairobi, and is supported by a Seminar Series Award from the Urban Studies Foundation, grant reference: USF-SSA-230306.
Following on from the public event of 24th March 2023 at the University of Nairobi, where Dr. Kitata and Prof. Cupers introduced their research - Kamiriithu Afterlives - The GoDown Arts Centre is pleased to invite you to a public discussion titled, “The Spirit of Kamiriithu: People, Participation, Process”. The discussion is part of The GoDown’s URBAN Dialogue Series and will be held during the 2023 UTA-Do African Cities Workshop. It will be an open-ended conversation with Dr. Kitata and Prof. Cupers discussing their research and documentation of the Kamiriithu community. In turn, The GoDown will share its process of transforming the arts centre, by putting people first. The engagement will also explore ways in which the community can be included in visioning Kamiriithu’s future.
Online partecipation is possible at this link.
This event is a collaboration between UTA-Do, The GoDown Arts Centre Nairobi, University of Nairobi, and Critical Urbanisms.