The second event of the talk series «African Voices Lucerne» is a conversation with Lesley Lokko and Zegeye Cherenet, moderated by Henri-Michel Yéré.

Lesley Lokko is a Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator and best-selling novelist. She is the Founder and Chair of the African Futures Institute in Ghana and served as the curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice in 2023. In addition to her work in architecture, she has published 13 bestselling novels, which have been translated into 15 languages.

Zegeye Cherenet is the President of the Alliance for Building Communities (ABC) and Assistant Professor at the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building & City Development (EiABC). He holds a PhD from HafenCity University in Hamburg and is co-author of the forthcoming book «Grassroots Urbanization: Architecture in Community and Town-Building in Ethiopia» (2026).

Henri-Michel Yéré, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Basel, will moderate the conversation and discussion. Born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, he has worked in both the private sector and academia. He has also published several books of poetry.

African Voices Lucerne is a talk series featuring conversations with distinguished Africans on the future of Africa and its global connections. Our guests span a wide spectrum of expertise, including scientists, artists, intellectuals, educators, architects, agronomists, civil society leaders and religious leaders. Each talk will bring an invited guest from the African continent into conversation with a person of African descent living in Switzerland. These influential voices will take centre stage, offering their own perspectives and worldviews as they reflect on African contributions to global challenges.

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In der Gesprächsreihe «African Voices Lucerne» vom 7. April 2025 kommt Lesley Lokko, Gründerin und Vorsitzende des African Futures Institute in Ghana und Kuratorin der 18. Internationalen Architekturausstellung in Venedig 2023, ins Gespräch mit Zegeye Cherenet, Präsident der Alliance for Building Communities und Professor am Ethiopian Institute of Architecture in Addis Abeba. Die Diskussion wird moderiert von Henri-Michel Yéré, der an der Universität Basel lehrt und forscht. Das Gespräch findet auf Englisch statt. Tickets sind gratis, Platzzahl beschränkt, Reservierung empfohlen.

In der Reihe «African Voices Lucerne» kommen herausragende Persönlichkeiten aus Afrika zu Wort, um über die Zukunft des Kontinents und seine Stellung in der Welt zu diskutieren. Die Gäste decken ein breites Spektrum an Expertise ab. Sie sind Wissenschaftler*innen, Künstler*innen, Intellektuelle, Pädagog*innen, Architekt*innen, führende Vertreter*innen der Zivilgesellschaft und religiöse Führungspersönlichkeiten. Jede Veranstaltung bringt einen Gast aus Afrika zusammen mit einer in der Schweiz lebenden Person afrikanischer Herkunft.