Call for Papers /// AFRAUHN NAIROBI, 8–10 Sept 2026, University of Nairobi, Kenya
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
AFRAUHN NAIROBI
Conference Dates: 8 – 10 September 2026
Conference run by the African Architectural & Urban History Network (AFRAUHN) in collaboration with the Department of Architecture, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Conference Rationale
The African Architectural and Urban History Network (AFRAUHN), in collaboration with the Department of Architecture at the University of Nairobi, invites proposals for papers about emerging discourses and themes in African architectural and urban practices for a major international conference being held at the University of Nairobi from 8th September – 10th September 2026.
It will be the second AFRAUHN bi-annual conference, the first having taken place at the Wits School of Architecture and Planning in South Africa in July 2024. Recognizing that discourses about African architecture and urban planning are more complex than the bifurcated ‘traditional’/‘colonial’ or ‘African’/‘Western’ models which still tend to dominate the research, writing, environmental design and spatial design practices in the continent, this conference instead welcomes contributions that critically examine the status quo(s) of these models and disciplines – be that in terms of academic, practice, national institutions or regulatory bodies, or as are imagined by policy-makers in forms of urban development which are then disseminated to the public.
This second AFRAUHN bi-annual conference is organized to coincide with the inaugural Pan-African Biennale of Architecture, curated by Omar Degan and team, and which is also being held in September 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Supporting institutions
Pan-African Biennale of Architecture
Architectural Association of Kenya
Campus Innovation Laboratory (CIL), University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
Department of Art History, University of Delaware, USA
Liverpool School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, UK
The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, UK.
Schedule
3rd April 2026: Deadline for applicants to submit their proposed paper titles and abstracts.
17th April 2026: Confirmation of participation.
28th April 2026: Full registration and conference details will be made available. Please visit the AFRAUHN website to book a place: https://www.afrauhn.org
27th August 2026: Final date to register for conference attendance.
31st August 2026: Opening event for the 1st Pan-African Biennale of Architecture in Nairobi.
8th September 2026: CONFERENCE DAY 1 at the University of Nairobi.
9th September 2026: CONFERENCE DAY 2 at the University of Nairobi.
10th September 2026: CONFERENCE DAY 3 at the University of Nairobi.
11th September 2026 (afternoon): Optional train travel to Mombasa.
12th September 2026: Optional architectural tour of Mombasa.
Scientific Committee
Dr Irene Appeaning Addo, University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana)
George Arrabu Ndege, President of the Architectural Association of Kenya
Professor Eva Branscome, University College London (UK)
Dr Warebi Brisibe, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (Nigeria)
Professor Marshall Brown, Princeton University (USA)
Omar Degan, Pan-African Biennale of Architecture
Professor Nnamdi Elleh, University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Professor Murray Fraser, University College London (UK)
Prof Julia Gallagher, King’s College London (UK)
Jacqueline Khairu, Chairperson – Architects’ Chapter, Architectural Association of Kenya
Dr Linda Nkatha Gichuyia, University of Nairobi (Kenya)
Professor Ikem Stanley Okoye, University of Delaware (USA)
Prof Robert Rukwaro, University of Nairobi (Kenya)
Dr Anooradha Siddiqi, Barnard College, Columbia University (USA)
Professor Ola Uduku, University ofLiverpool (UK)
Titles, Abstracts & Venues
We invite abstracts of a minimum of 300 words and maximum of 500 words for this groundbreaking international conference to be hosted at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
To apply to our Call for Papers please fill in the form to submit your details and abstracts by Friday 3rd April 2026, with confirmation for those who are chosen to participate by Friday 17th April 2026.
Please select the link for the theme of the conference you are responding to. A maximum of two example images can also be included in the submitted document, but everything must be sent as a single file in Adobe PDF format. All submissions must include an email contact address for future communication with the Scientific Committee. Submissions that fail to comply with the required format will not be accepted. The Scientific Committee will assess each submission anonymously. All queries can be emailed to conference@afrauhn.org
Registration and the auxiliary information portal will open on Tuesday 28th April 2026.
Attendance and Funding
As part of our ongoing efforts to support African scholarship, we will have some funds on offer to pay for air travel/full-board accommodation for a few of the speakers who are accepted from countries on the African continent. This funding is being provided through collaboration between the Campus Innovation Laboratory (CIL) at Wits University, University College London, and the African Architectural and Urban History Network (AFRAUHN). As however the funding is limited, those from the continent who are submitting abstracts of papers should include a short biography about themselves, their Africa-based affiliation, and whereabouts on the African continent they will be travelling to the conference from in order to present. These funds will be allocated to create the widest possible spread – including gender, geographical, cultural, etc – among the speakers.
Otherwise, we encourage all other conference participants, whether they are speakers or attendees, to source their own funding. Please also note the fixed registration dates for this event.
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