What is Afropolis?

Afropolis is my multidisciplinary art project, through which I  communicate — in image and sound — some of the dynamics of living in urban environments such as Addis Ababa, Dakar, Nouakchott, Saint-Louis, or São Vicente

The idea first sizzled in my head long, long ago, when I witnessed how pedestrians in Dakar had no space to walk safely because the pavements had been — and still are — taken over by massive 4×4 cars. I found myself wondering: where is this leading? If there are urban planners — what are they planning for? And: is the ultimate goal in life a ridiculously big and expensive 4×4 that one can park just about anywhere, at the expense of pedestrians?

Another, more recent phenomenon that pushed me to start this project is the rise of 'satellite cities' and luxury residential areas, often funded by foreign investment, springing up on the outskirts of big cities — or sometimes in their very heart. This transformation of the city is visually fascinating to me and tickles my sense of place and space.

How do these cities work? In this part of the world urban dynamics seem to have layers and layers of their own specific twists and I would like to poke those layers and learn about people’s views, hopes, imaginations and their own experience of the urban environment, whether they call it “home” or otherwise. Don’t get me wrong: I am not building a case against what does not work in a city, quite the contrary: with Afropolis I want to envisage and promote the amazing energies of these cities. Hopefully it will lead to reactions, suggestions, and collaborations among those of you who feel somehow connected to these places. I hope to be able to reveal stories on and by people living in urban environments and in their centres, peripheries and in-betweens.