Africa's Sugar Cities: Utopias, Memory, and Everyday Life
On September 23, the Library for Foreign Literature (Inostranka) hosted a lecture titled "Sugar Cities: Utopia and Reality of the African City in Contemporary Art," organised by the BRICS Expert Council-Russia together with the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre. Delivering the lecture was Ksenia Guseva, researcher of creative industries in Asia and Africa, and Communications Manager at Strelka Construction Design Bureau.
The discussion centred on the evolution of artistic representations of African megacities like Cairo, Lagos, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Kampala, and others. Ksenia Guseva illustrated how these cities are becoming central "characters" in a narrative where utopian projects, local practices, and public art intersect. African architecture and urban culture are developing along two parallel tracks: on one side, sleek skyscrapers and grand projects often disconnected from their local context; on the other, a revitalised interest in traditional materials, local typologies, and communal forms.
One of the key themes was memory and decolonisation. The speaker highlighted how public art is becoming a tool for the "aesthetic reclamation" of symbols and façades, helping to restore a city's unique sense of place and strengthen its identity. She described how the rhythm of daily life in an African city is defined by the "hustle" created by traffic, workshops, and street services. These are not marginal spaces but central stages of life, vividly reflected in art and micro-architecture like tents, canopies, and improvised pathways.
Looking ahead, the lecturer emphasised that the most impactful urban projects are those that draw on local cultural codes and involve communities. Such initiatives strengthen neighbourhood identity and local economies while encouraging residents to take a more active role in shaping their surroundings.
The lecture attracted a diverse audience interested in Global South cultures and marked a significant moment in the BRICS Expert Council-Russia public events programme.