Where is Wakanda? Who is T’Challa? The Sustainable African City Re-Imagined as a Livable and Lovable City

Abstract

Where is Wakanda? Is it place? An idea? Who is T’Challa? Who are the African heroes when it comes to the conceptualising of African space and cities? Images of future African cities tend to resemble Wakanda in the movie “Black Panther”. These images are dominated by high-rise glass and steel structures—an aspiration of many cities in emerging African economies. While there is a need to imagine alternatives to current trajectories of development of African cities, it is important to consider images that lead to the creation of inclusive spaces, a scale that is accessible and a relationship with the public realm that is meaningful to the majority of city residents. An anecdotal narrative is combined with an analytical text based on a literature review on some of the themes presented. Based on what emerges from this debate, the African City is re-imagined, through the extraction of some lessons and ideas from the analysis of case studies, as a livable and lovable city. These concepts imply that cities are just, attractive, functional and resonate with many communities over time. In this way, cities become sustainable by accommodating for all people and allowing for diversity, choice and change. The future image of these cities thus also strongly relates to their geographical, social, cultural, economic and historical contexts.