An African reflection on cities

Thinking about African urbanism means recognising the vitality of the continent and producing intellectual, political and practical frameworks that reject inherited models.

The collective Je m’engage pour l’Afrique (JMA) has published a manifesto entitled ‘Urbanité citoyenne en mouvement’ (Citizen Urbanity in Motion), in collaboration with the Brazilian organisation BrCidades and Professor Glória Cecília Figueiredo of the Federal University of Bahia. This document was presented this week at the Brazil-France Forum, Dialogues with Africa, organised as part of the Notre Futur festival in Salvador de Bahia.

This manifesto is the result of citizen engagement by young beneficiaries of the JMA 2025 Residency programme dedicated to the development of African cities, carried out with the support of experts and researchers. According to its promoters, the initiative responds ‘to a strong expectation among young people in the Global South: no longer just to be listened to, but to achieve concrete results, by fully assuming their responsibilities in the making of the city.’

For Ileana Santos, founder of JMA, ‘by opening a dialogue between Africa and Brazil, we are affirming that the solutions to the urban challenges of the South can be found first and foremost in the South. This is where the cities of tomorrow are being invented: inclusive, creative and deeply civic-minded.’

The document points out that Africa is currently undergoing a historic urban transition that requires Africans to create their own benchmarks. Indeed, by 2050, more than 70% of the African population will live in cities, according to UN-Habitat estimates; 60% of African city dwellers live in informal settlements; and 70% of Africans are under the age of 30.

In this rapid urbanisation, informality is not outside the system, says JMA, but a mode of urban production, a living ecosystem where forms of living, exchanging, resisting and innovating are created. “These spaces, often perceived as precarious, are also areas of creativity, solidarity, citizen organisation and popular economy. ‘

This is why, according to the authors of the ’Manifesto”, thinking about urban Africa today means recognising this vitality and producing intellectual, political and practical frameworks that are based on our realities rather than repeating inherited models.

Weaving the commons

The manifesto is based on the concept of the ‘right to the city,’ which it reinterprets in the light of African contexts. At the same time, it draws inspiration from the notion of ‘Afrotopos,’ developed by Felwine Sarr, as an epistemic horizon that allows us to think about the city from our collective narratives, imaginations and experiences. The text sets out five principles.

Firstly, living is not simply a matter of occupying a dwelling; it is about maintaining a living relationship with a territory, a memory and a community. ‘Yet for millions of Africans, this fundamental link is breaking down,’ the authors note, backed up by figures. This can be explained in part by a land registration system inherited from the colonial period that is ill-suited to African realities. Added to this is speculative land dynamics, which exacerbate inequalities.

As an example of good practice, the document cites the Ebrah project (photo above), carried out in a village near Abidjan. Its master plan is based on planned, space-efficient urbanisation centred around a garden village integrating housing, public facilities and productive spaces.

Secondly, the coexistence of urban and rural areas is the paradox of African urbanisation: a continent that is still largely rural but undergoing rapid change, where demographic pressure and urban growth are redrawing the balance between nature and the city. This has led to imbalances and public health hazards. ‘In this context, sustainable resource management and the circular economy appear to be strategic levers,’ the manifesto explains.

Thirdly, it proposes to ‘weave our commons’; this means guaranteeing water, energy, mobility and education as shared goods, nourished by local solidarity.

For example, ‘reclassifying pavements, squares, local parks and transport hubs as social infrastructure, equipped with fountains, toilets, lighting, shade trees, waste management and welcoming furniture, lowers the cost of using the city, increases the feeling of safety and weaves together the links between walking, transport and services,’ reads the Manifesto.

New citizen actions

The Manifesto (cover). Fourthly, the document proposes to ‘make the city resonate’; that is, to ‘open up spaces for discussion and participation that carry the multiple voices’ of African cultures and youth. On this point, experience has yielded mixed results, but the development of digital technology offers new perspectives.

Finally, the authors aim to ‘build community trust’. This involves securing spaces and strengthening cohesion by building on social ties and practices of solidarity. There are many examples in Senegal, Burkina Faso, South Africa, etc., of tensions and insecurity being eased through the revival of community practices.

The launch in Brazil marks the first structured conversation between African and Brazilian actors on contemporary urban challenges. JMA is opening a South-South dialogue on inclusion, spatial justice, sustainability and citizen participation.

It is in this spirit that this manifesto has been written, explains the organisation: ‘To think about the city from the global South, to bring together African and Latin American perspectives, and to work together to develop new avenues for citizen action, with tangible results.’