African architects "to tell a story under their own terms" at Pan-African Biennale of Architecture

The first Pan-African Biennale of Architecture has been announced for 2026. In this interview, its inaugural curator, Omar Degan, explains his vision for the event.

Set to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, the event will feature contributions from all 54 African nations as Somali-Italian architect Degan aims to create a biennale that allows the continent's architects to take control of its narrative.

"The idea is to create a dialogue, but under the terms of the continent," Degan told Dezeen.

"No longer dictated as a story told by someone else, but taking ownership of the story, taking ownership of the moderation, taking ownership of what is happening and why is happening and not letting someone else narrate the stories," he continued.

"So it aims to be an event that allows real dialogue about the real issues, especially in the political environment that the world is facing now."

"We're observing the rebirth of the pan-African movement"

According to Degan, the timing of the event aligns with a resurgence in pan-African unity.

"On a political scale, we're observing the rebirth of the pan-African movement that during the independence years of Africa was really strong," Degan told Dezeen.

"We are in a moment where not only from a political side of things, but also from the artistic perspective, we see a lot of artists, designers, landscape architect emerging and trying to tell a story under their own terms."

Degan, who is the co-founder of the biennale as well as its inaugural curator, believes that work from the continent has been underrepresented in the press and at other biennales.

Giving these architects and designers their own forum to show work was one of the core reasons for founding the event.

"If we consider the world, what has been shown in terms of architecture and design related to the global south, but particularly the continent of Africa, has been very, very little compared to the rest of the world," he said.

"You just need to go and look for a book about African architecture and either find exotic things related to Safari lodges or things that focus on a broad discourse," he continued.

"We've heard a lot about what is happening in Europe, in North America, in South America, in Asia – why is Africa not discussed enough?"

"The centre shifted and it's time to move it back"

With the Pan-African Biennale of Architecture, Degan also hopes to contribute to changing the narrative surrounding Africa, which he says is often construed as a "fragile continent".

"Africa is always at the centre of discussion in the media in terms of immigration, conflict, colonisation and exploitation," explained Degan.

"I always say that Africa is a big book, but the world tends to just take one chapter of their book and describe the whole experience," he continued.

"I think [by] unlocking what is happening within the continent, the hope is that, to an extent, it will also help to shape the dialogue, the political dialogue, in a different way."

To readdress the imbalance, Degan chose Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience, as the theme for the inaugural biennale.

"I will say that Africa was the nest of life – it was the centre," explained Degan. "The centre shifted and it's time to move it back."

"It's a way to move the discussions over what will be the future in terms of population growth, in terms of city growth, in terms of what will happen in business development and so on," he continued.

"But at the same time, transitioning from what has always been described as a fragile continent and showing the meaning of resilience."

"The terms are not western"

In recent years, architecture and design created in Africa has attracted more global attention, most notably at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023, which was curated by Scottish-Ghanaian architect Lesley Lokko.

However, Degan felt it was important to create a space where African architects and designers have the confidence to show their work without needing Western validation.

"The 2023 biennale was in intent trying to unlock what was happening in the continent, but under western terms," said Degan.

"This is a contradiction that I wanted to avoid in the foundation of this thing," he continued. "The terms are not western, are not European anymore, in this particular case the terms are African."

Although the event will be billed as a biennale in line with other biennial global architecture festivals, Degan does not intend for the event to replicate the western model.

"It will be very different," he said. "The idea is to provide a name that is recognisable, but change the experience in terms of sensorial, movement and materiality."

"The concept of expecting only a typical installation – you go into the pavilion and you leave – this is not the intention and this is not actually what the participants want."

African architects "hungry" for a platform

One of Degan's core aims, to ensure the biennale is truly pan-African, is to include participants from all 54 African nations. Given the interested and support he has already seen, he does not think that this will be difficult.

"With no deep knowledge of what's happening within the continent, representing each one of the nations seems like a very tough thing to do," explained Degan.

"Well, it's quite the opposite, because when I'm talking about the pan-African sentiment people, architects, professionals around the continent and outside the continent are hungry to be provided with a platform where they can share what they are doing," he continued.

"The beautiful thing about the fact that Africa has been neglected is that there is a lot of hunger. The good thing about Africa is you move mountains with an idea of sharing."

The event will take place next September at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre – a landmark in the city that opened in the early 1970s – and is supported by the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK).

Degan chose Nairobi due to its relative accessibility to people from all over Africa.

"One of the biggest scandals of the Lesley Lokko biennale was the fact that a proportion of people from Africa were not able to attend due to the visa restrictions," he said. "Kenya is one of those countries that allows almost every African nation to get into."

Overall, Degan believes that this is the ideal time to launch a biennale that focuses on the whole of Africa and the diaspora.

"It is a perfect moment to collectively have the discussion all together, from the black community in the United States all the way to the third generations that are trying to get their own rights in Italy to have the citizenship," he explained.

"We are coming from the same places, we all have common ground. I think this is the moment to articulate this global situation, to create dialogue and not division."

The main portrait is courtesy of Omar Degan.

The Pan-African Biennale of Architecture will open at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya on 1 September 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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