African Cities: Envisioning an alternative future: Recent Episodes
Amira Osman
We will be discussing African cities, and the challenges they face, with a focus on spatial fragmentation and unequal access to opportunities. This is an initiative of the Chair for Spatial Transformation located at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa. This podcast will take a deep look at African cities and the built environment in African cities; it will look at opportunities, and restrictions on opportunities, that emerge due to spatial policies and realities. This is done by seeking lessons from across the continent through interviews with professionals and communities alike. Through these interviews and the profiling of research, we will reach out to partners in the continent. We aim to change thinking on cities, space and design and, in the process, influence change in practice in the built environment.
In this episode, I again reflect on my multiple affiliations and how a revolution and political transformation transformed us. The complex topics of protest, public space, identity, belonging, virtual and real space are addressed. The podcast is based on invited talks, radio and TV interviews and an article published in The Conversation in 2019 (https://theconversation.com/sudan-the-symbolic-significance-of-the-space-protesters-made-their-own-115864; http://amiraosman.co.za/2019/07/17/the-december-2018-revolution-and-sudanese-professionals-in-the-diaspora-reflections-from-a-reluctant-activist/). The Sudan, in general neglected in the media, was suddenly in the spotlight. Some have argued that the Sudan is not African enough for Africans and not Arab enough for the Arabs - a condition that has led to a level of marginalisation. Lessons from my host, and also my home, country, South Africa, are introduced. Visions for Khartoum that have emerged in social media are critiqued and a manifesto for the future plans for the city is presented. Warwick Junction, in Durban South Africa, which is host to an estimated 6000 informal traders, is presented as another case where the tension between peoples' daily activities in city spaces and officialdom play out.
In this second podcast of the African cities series, conceptualised and presented by Prof Amira Osman, SARChI Chair in Spatial Transformation, the presenter aims to tie together complex themes that are hard to address yet deeply related, and integral, to any conversation on spatial transformation. The presenter also aims to build a visual image of what a transformed urban environment will "look like". Fragments of recent engagements have been woven together making this a very timous and needed contribution at this particular time. The conversation continues in the next edition when the, again complex, topic of healing from the trauma of divisive spatial geographies is tackled, and how COVID-19 made it all so much more evident. Some of these thoughts have been shared on these blogs:
- http://amiraosman.co.za/2021/03/16/saia-transformation-webinars-2021-some-reflections/
and
- http://amiraosman.co.za/2020/09/01/what-does-transformation-look-like/
In this opening episode, I present some of my interests and background as a Sudanese/South African with an interest in cities, space and transformation. I start off by reflecting on the disruption caused by COVID-19 and how personal and professional challenges soon became opportunities. Yet, I acknowledge that the spatial disadvantage posed by our cities have meant that many have been further disadvantaged by the crisis. For the overall health of the city and its inhabitants, I argue that the first line of defense needs to be in areas of extreme poverty. I reflect on my background and how my thinking has been shaped over the years. I challenge a deeper understanding of concepts of participation. I also argue that cities in different African contexts have similar spatial realities despite the very diverse histories. A comparison is made with regards to the level of progress in terms of policy approaches. The podcast ends with an invitation to bring our own voices and our own heritage into the academic realm and into our professions.