Lesley Lokko

Lesley Lokko is an architect, educator, and novelist whose work explores questions of race, identity, and the global politics of architecture. Born in Scotland and raised in Ghana and the United Kingdom, she has held leadership positions at architectural institutions on three continents and is known for advancing new models of design education. In 2021, she founded the African Futures Institute in Accra, Ghana, an independent postgraduate school of architecture and public platform for discourse on Africa’s built environment. 

Lokko served as the curator of the Eighteenth International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2023—the first person of African descent to hold that role. Her curatorial approach foregrounded decoloniality, climate justice, and the multiplicity of global architectural practices. She is the author of several works of fiction and essays, and has taught at institutions including the University of Johannesburg, the Bartlett School of Architecture, and Columbia University. Lokko holds a PhD in architecture from the University of London.