About The Guest

Today we're honored to introduce our guest, Professor Lesley Lokko. A distinguished Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, and bestselling novelist, Dr. Lokko most recently served as the Curator of the 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture, becoming the first Black-identified person to hold the position. She’s also the founder and Director of the African Futures Institute (AFI) a pioneering postgraduate school of architecture in Accra, Ghana.

Dr. Lokko is also a best-selling novelist with 12 titles under her belt. Her novels have been translated into sixteen languages dealing with themes of love, loyalty, class, race, and cultural identity, transforming the “beach-read” genre into an extension of her architectural, world-building practice. For her contributions to the fields of Architecture and education, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2023 and 2024 won the Gold Medal Award, by the Royal Institute of British Architects, one of the highest honors in the world of architecture.

And in many ways, that’s where today's conversation with Prof. Leslie Lokko begins. The reality of appearing to be at the top, juxtaposed against the sweat and elbow grease required in institution-building and well… being a human being. Prof. Lokko joyfully and deftly takes us on a journey of triumph, career pivots, culture shock, womanhood, and becoming.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. Now, And now, the indefatigable Professor Lesley Lokko.

Key Links

Darren Walker - president of the Ford Foundation

African Futures Institute - a new model for architectural education centered on three areas: teaching, research and public events.

La Biennale di Venezia - Venice Biennale - an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation.

Officer of the Order of the British Empire ( OBE )- This is awarded for having a major local role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.

Mellon Foundation -Mellon makes grants to support communities through the power of the arts and humanities.

Key Readings

Biennale Architettura 2023: The Laboratory of the Future - Lesley Lokko

Saffron Skies - Lesley Lokko

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. I'm your host, Dario, and today, we have the pleasure of chatting with Nifemi Marcus-Bello, a visionary design director and founder of Nmbello Studio. Renowned for his community-centric and ethnographically-conscious design ethos, Nifemi’s practice exemplifies how obstacles are merely opportunities in disguise.

In this conversation, we explore the journey of a designer deeply rooted in his Nigerian upbringing. Nifemi shares how he overcame societal pressures that attempted to sway him from his creative path, how reimagining local materials and processes expanded his own design language, and we even get into blood memory and ancestral wisdom. Yeah, it’s one of those episodes.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. Now, beaming in from across the Atlantic, design director and industrial designer, Nifemi Marcus-Bello.

Key Links

nmbello Studio - is a design studio currently based in Lagos, Nigeria. Our design ethos is rooted in empathy.

Ethnographic Museum of Trocadero - first anthropological museum in Paris

Kwali - acts as a portable shop, weaving through Lagos traffic

Kerry James Marshall- American artist

Salone del Mobile Milano -The global benchmark event for the furnishing and design sector.

Anna Karnick - Design Miami Curator 2023

Tavares Strachan - a Bahamian-born conceptual artist

Tahir Carl Karmali - Artist

Samuel Ross - Fashion designer

What to Read

Dieter Rams: Ten Principles for Good Design - Cees W. de Jong (Editor)

Dieter Rams: The Complete Works - Klaus Klemp

What to listen to

Tested, Approved & Trusted - Burna Boy

Drogba (Joanna) - Afro...

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of black genius. Today, we're thrilled to present Shani Peters and Joseph Cuillier III, the co-founders of The Black School—an innovative art institution dedicated to teaching radical Black politics through experimental approaches to art and design education.

Both artists and organizers in their own right, Founded by Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters, they're mixing art with talks about Black politics and community projects. Inspired by past community-run schools, like those from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, they're making a difference today.

The Black School has three parts: the School itself, the Festival where students show off their work, and the Studio, where students learn about design and get job training. It's all about helping students understand their neighborhoods, make art that matters, and get ready for the future.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination, subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on blackimagination.com. Join us as we explore how organizations like The Black School are changing the game in education and beyond. Now, let's warmly welcome Shani Peters and Joseph Cuillier, the Co-Founders of The Black School, to our conversation.

Key Links

Joseph A. Cuillier Career Center - We are a school dedicated to providing an education that empowers our students to succeed in the workforce and beyond.

bell hooks - American author

Alma Thomas - American artist and teacher

Rosenwald/Booker T. Washington Schools- Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck, built state-of-the art schools for African American children across the South.

Augusta Savage -American sculptor

Harlem Community Art School - The Center was a place for the Harlem community to receive education in the arts for free or little charge.

Oakland Community School - was a Black Panther-run liberation school that operated in Oakland from 1973 to 1982.

Emory Douglas - The former Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist for the Black Panther Party

Black Love Festival- presented by The Black School, is an art and music festival promoting a cultural movement for Black love.