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Diaspora | Updated April 7, 2025

Professor Lesley Lokko: Redefining Borders, Reimagining Futures

Professor Lesley Lokko OBE is a distinguished Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, and bestselling novelist whose work bridges the worlds of architecture, literature, and education. As the Founder and Director of the African Futures Institute (AFI) in Accra, Ghana, she has established a vital independent platform for postgraduate architectural education and public discourse.

In December 2021, Professor Lokko was appointed Curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, a landmark role that underscored her influence on the global architectural stage. The following year, she was awarded an OBE in King Charles III’s first New Year’s Honours List for her contributions to architecture and education.

Beyond academia, she is an acclaimed novelist, having published thirteen bestsellers since her debut, Sundowners (Orion, 2004). Her literary works have been translated into fifteen languages, reflecting her ability to engage audiences across cultures and disciplines.

Her academic contributions are equally formidable. She is a Visiting Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, a Visiting Full Professor at University College Dublin’s School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, and a recipient of the 2020 RIBA Annie Spink Award for excellence in architectural education. She also serves as a Trustee of the Architecture Foundation and is a Founding Member of the Council on Urban Initiatives, co-established by LSE Cities, UN-Habitat, and the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.

Her editorial work is equally influential. She is the Editor of White Papers, Black Marks: Race, Culture, Architecture (University of Minnesota Press, 2000), Editor-in-Chief of FOLIO: Journal of Contemporary African Architecture, and Guest Editor of UCL Press’s Design Research in Architecture series.

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Previously, she was the Founder and Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg (2014–2019) and later served as Dean of Architecture at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, The City College of New York (2019–2020).

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With a career spanning continents and disciplines, Professor Lesley Lokko continues to challenge and reshape the architectural and cultural landscapes, championing a future that is more inclusive, reflective, and bold.