THE URBAN THEORY AFRICA WORKSHOP
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UTA-Do is a yearly critical urban studies ‘summer school’ that aims to contribute to making African urban scholarship and imagination more inclusive, and primarily through working to democratise access to the resources required to shape and produce information about African cities. UTA-Do brings together emerging scholars, artists, and activists around the shared project of thinking and doing the urban.The core of the program is a one week annual workshop with between 30 and 40 participants. The workshop program includes deep theoretical debates, writing exercises, career mentorship, field trips, and corporeal arts immersions – underpinned by a recognition of the multifaceted nature of the urban theory making project. These closed spaces are supplemented with public events which home in on more specific themes related to contemporary African urban issues. The events reinforce each other, creating a rich ecosystem of debate, care, and visibility.
UTA-Do builds on the brash, daring, dynamic ‘uta-do’ mentality of Nairobi, where the program was first launched. Loosely translated from sheng as ‘what are you going to do about it?’ (rendered with a mischievous smirk), the UTA-Do workshop aims to create a space where young scholars theorise and valorise the various praxes that emerge through and with dynamic African urban spaces. We intentionally encourage scholars to engage with those who are doing – art and activism and (non) academia – in African cities in innovative ways, and to always engage with the question: UTA-Do?
THE 2026 UTA-Do WORKSHOP - Addis Ababa
UTA-Do 2026, with Wagon2Africa and the Urban Center - 9-13 February 2026
In 2026, through a vibrant partnership with the Urban Center, UTA-Do will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Urban Center is a social enterprise dedicated to fostering debates on planning and architectural practice in the city.
In addition, our 2026 UTA-Do is in partnership with Wagon2Africa. The Water-Energy-Food Nexus 2 Africa (Wagon2Africa) project aims to forge a robust network between Italian and African universities, fostering cooperation and sharing best practices around the critical Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. International collaboration is paramount for exchanging knowledge, and in this partnership, we privilege indigenous expertise and mutual learning. The Wagon2Africa consortium, led by Politecnico di Torino, comprises 10 Italian universities, bringing diverse skills and educational expertise.
Please read the call for more details about participation, scholarships and other matters.
THE 2024 UTA-Do WORKSHOP - Dar Es Salaam
During our 2024 edition, between January 29 and February 2, we further interrogated critical urban theory from across the globe and in African cities. Our participants enjoyed exploring the city of Dar es Salaam, through the work of theory (Dar school), activisms, and art.
As our previous workshops, UTA-Do 2024 followed this structure:
Theorise: to locate ourselves in critical urban theory and respond to it from our various African nodes
Support: to improve our skills in terms of how we do research, write-up and present our findings
Do: to build synergies between art, activism and (non) academia happening in Dar es Salaam, and other African cities to enrich our discourses
UTA-Do 2024 was supported by a Seminar Series Award from the Urban Studies Foundation, grant reference: USF-SSA-230306, and by the Just City Platform (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Tanzania Office).
The 2024 program included keynote lectures and workshops from, among others, Gautam Bhan, Stefan Ouma, Wangui Kimari, Adam Bledsoe, Huda Tayob, Tatu Limbumba, and Youssuf Al-Bulushi.
THE 2023 UTA-Do WORKSHOP - Nairobi
The 2023 UTA-Do African Cities Workshop was held at the British Institute of East Africa in Nairobi, from April 17–21, 2023. The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the GoDown Arts Institute in Nairobi, and the British Institute of East Africa.
The workshop had over 31 early career researchers in attendance, representing over 21 countries, and 22 speakers and panelists from Kenya, South Africa, India, China, Europe, UK and the USA.
The 2023 programme included five days of workshops, talks, panel discussions and immersive field trips and exchanges. Attendees were able to meaningfully engage with the urban environment, through a guided tour of the Nairobi Arboretum, a live-music event hosted at Rabuko's restaurant in Westlands, and a Movement workshop conducted at the GoDown Arts Centre.
The event also included supplementary sessions, including the GoDown URBAN Dialogue Series on The Spirit of Kamiriithu: People, Participation, Process; and a panel discussion titled: The body in space: Choreographic explorations and reflections.
UTA-Do 2023 was supported by a Seminar Series Award from the Urban Studies Foundation, grant reference: USF-SSA-230306.
THE 2022 UTA-Do WORKSHOP - Nairobi
Our first UTA-Do? workshop took place between May 23-27, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, and saw the participation of 30 participants from across the continent— Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda — and beyond.
At this inaugural workshop, we had three days of focused collaborative theory learning and building, and spent the other two days listening and sharing with diverse artist and activist constituencies in the city, including the powerful folks at Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC) and Sound of Nairobi (see the programme from the 2022 edition).
THE UTA-Do TEAM (past and present)
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Previous UTA-Do supporters
UTA-Do 2023 and 2024 events were also supported by a Seminar Series Award from the Urban Studies Foundation
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I was encouraged to add and contribute to the lexicon and vocabularies of southern urbanism and to stretch our collective understanding of what it means to be ‘urban’ - Alicia Fortuin (2022 participant)
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