Roundtable: Gender in/of African cities

IFRA-Nigeria, as part of a series of events funded by the Institut Français through the Fond d’Alembert, is co-organising two roundtables on “Gender in/of African cities”.

The roundtables will gather artists, activists, academics and urban actors in order to create spontaneous discussions on issues of gender in urban African contexts, starting from the case of Nigerian cities, notably Lagos and Abuja.

What is it about?

There are growing debates about gender relationships in African societies. Emerging in the first place from feminist movements and academics, they quickly reached out to public spheres, especially in Nigeria. A particular attention has been paid to urban contexts, where women are said to be more likely to emancipate (professionally, economically and politically). At the same time, several research in Europe have shown that it remains more complicated for women to move and walk freely in cities today. Urban infrastructures are also still designed by and for men’s professional and leisure activities (like sports).

These issues are particularly relevant in African urban contexts, whether in Lagos where women have long invested public spaces and public transports to conduct economic activities and expand their social networks out of the domestic sphere, or in Abuja, administrative and political capital of Nigeria, where, despite the increasing role of women in politics and businesses, the influence of Muslim religion is still impacting their presence and flux out of the domestic sphere.

The joint debates organised in Abuja and Lagos will represent great opportunities to discuss and interrogate the place of/for people depending on their gender in African cities, starting with in situ examples, through questioning of public policies implementation, civil society initiatives and artistic productions exploring the notion of "gender of" and "gender in" Nigerian and African cities.

Roundtable in Abuja (April 9, 2019)

The first roundtable will be held at the Institut Français du Nigeria in Abuja, on Tuesday 9th of April 2019, from 10am to 12pm. This event is co-organised with the French Development Agency (AFD).

Photo credit: Andrew Esiebo - http://www.andrewesiebo.com/

Guest speakers:

• Prof. Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch (geographer, University of Grenoble, France)
• Akudo Oguaghamba (founder and executive director of Women Health and Equal Rights Initiative, WHER and Human Right Activist, Nigeria)
• Funke Baruwa (past CEO “Nigerian women trust fund”, Nigerian gender and development practitioner, feminist)

Moderator:

• Dr. Philip Ademola Olayoku (Research and Programme Coordinator of the Kukah Centre, Nigeria)

Roundtable in Lagos (April 13, 2019)

The second roundtable will be held at the Alliance Française of Lagos, on Saturday 13^th of April 2019, from 5pm to 7pm. This event is co-organised with the Institut Français du Nigéria in Lagos.

Photo credit: Andrew Esiebo - http://www.andrewesiebo.com/

Guest speakers:

• Prof. Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch (geographer, Université de Grenoble, France)
• Ireti Bakare-Yusuf (activist and journalist, Smooth FM, Nigeria)
• Tabia Princewill (journalist and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Lagos State Government, Nigeria)

Moderator:

• Molara Wood (writer and journalist, Nigeria)

The entrance is free and open to everyone for both events.