Ideas is our space for research, reflection, and cultural inquiry. Here, we publish original essays, think pieces, interviews, and long-form research alongside a curated selection of books, films, podcasts, music, exhibitions, and other references that inform our practice. It is a record of our thinking, a place where the ideas behind our work are explored, challenged, and shared with a wider community.
In 'Removing Barriers, Elevating Practices,' architect and curator Papa Omotayo traces a personal and civic map of the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (CCA), founded in 2007 by the late curator Bisi Silva.
Papa Omotayo
This essay examines Boko Haram as a persistent threat to national peace in Nigeria, tracing the group's origins in North-Eastern Nigeria, the ideology that opposes Western education and institutions, and the conditions of inequality, poverty and marginalisation that have enabled its growth.
Yemisi Johnson
Africa is often described as the world's most ethnically diverse continent, and its civil wars are frequently reported as tribal or ethnic in nature.
Yemisi Johnson
Women and girls now account for roughly half of all international migrants, yet their journeys remain shaped by gendered vulnerability.
Yemisi Johnson
Lagos Legacy is a research and field project by [A]FA (Applied Foreign Affairs) at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, developed in collaboration with Legacy 1995 and a Lagos-based team of artists and researchers.
[A]FA, Applied Foreign Affairs, University of Applied Arts Vienna
In 'The Idea Behind Connecting the Dots,' Tobi Bolaji Idowu reflects on the founding thesis of A Whitespace Creative Arts Foundation: that meaningful cultural work in Lagos is less about producing new artefacts than about placing existing people, projects and archives in conversation.
Tobi Bolaji Idowu
Five days walking with a herd of puppet animals through the city.
AWCA Editorial
In 'The Idea Behind Safe Spaces,' Angel Akua reflects on what it takes to build genuinely safe environments for young creatives across the African cultural landscape.
Angel Akua
Papa Omotayo in conversation with Frida Robles on architecture, heritage and creative participation in the shaping of contemporary Lagos.
Papa Omotayo in conversation with Frida Robles
Beneath the Black President's fiery rhetoric lay humour, spiritual evolution, and a nuanced view of power.
Yemisi Johnson
Using Anthony Smith's theory of ethno-symbolism and the case of the Armenian Genocide, this essay examines how Turkish nationalists rationalised violence against an ethnic minority in the Ottoman Empire.
Yemisi Johnson
This essay explores how Lagos' public spaces are continually negotiated between formal urban planning and informal everyday use.
Papa Omotayo
Cultural References
On Our Radar is a running collection of the books we're reading, the films we're watching, the podcasts we're listening to, the exhibitions we're visiting, the ideas we're returning to, and everything in between. These are the cultural references, critical conversations, and creative works that are informing our thinking and inspiring the way we approach our work.
Book
I Will Greet the Sun Again
Khashayar J. Khabushani
Book
How to Read a Tree
Tristan Gooley
Biography
I.M. Pei
Docuseries
For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music
Music Album
Absolutely
Dijon
Music Album
Baby
Dijon
Music Album
Ma Fleur
The Cinematic Orchestra
Musical Artist
Fred Again
Musical Artist
Asake
Musical Artist
Sade
Musical Artist
Fatoumata Diawara
Music Playlist
Classic 90s Hip-Hop
Research Paper
Material Culture & The Living Room
Annmarie Money
Essay
A Polyphonous Ode to Migration
Kolleen Ku
Research Paper
Dispersion of Home in the Contemporary City: A Case Study of Perception and Behavior in Young Tokyoites
Vedrana Ikalović & Leonardo Chiesi
Essay
The Languages We Speak Affect Our Perceptions of the World
O. Mykhailyuk & H. Pohlod
Book
All About Love: New Visions
bell hooks
Book
Normal People
Sally Rooney
TV Show
Modern Love
TV Show
One Tree Hill