One of the key interventions vis-à-vis Africa in the late 2000s was challenging the idea of Africa as a monolithic space—Africa is not a country. In contrast, one of the central ideas from economists, politicians, and designers remains the opposite: Africa IS a country. This paper asks how?
Paper long abstract:
One of the central activist and academic interventions vis-à-vis Africa in the late 2000s was challenging the idea of Africa as a monolithic space—Africa is not a country. In contrast, one of the central ideas from economists, politicians, and designers remains precisely the opposite: Africa IS a country, and here’s how to make money there. As such, the question of the economic is central. Drawing on fieldwork with relevant parties (politicians, academics, consultants) from East Africa and Indian-Ocean Africa (Uganda and Mauritius), this paper considers and critiques dominant ideas of African urban futures in Africa. In so doing, this paper both interogates the idea of “Africa” as it has emerged within certain national contexts, and it asks what more can be thought.