Localtalks 04.22 - Designing for Refugees: Changing Narratives, Creating Opportunities

The final Localtalks event of 2022 was based on the topic of designing for refugees. It provided an opportunity to think critically about design responses to spaces for refugee communities in Uganda and beyond. Three presentations by Patrick Muvunga, Xavier De Kestelier and Evan Easton-Calabria occupied the first half of the session.
Evan, a Senior Researcher at the Academic Alliance for Anticipatory Action, Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University, and a Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, explored refugee-centred design from an academic angle. With her wide research experience in East Africa, she was able to share key considerations drawn from her research on and with refugee-led organisations.
Patrick is a designer, builder and activist and founder of Opportunigee - a non-profit organisation and learning space for young refugees in Western Uganda. He spoke about this particular platform and its impact on refugee lives.
Finally, Xavier, a principal and head of design at Hassell, took attendees through the design and development process of the project Bidi Bidi Music and Arts Centre. This Centre is currently being constructed by Localworks within a refugee camp in Uganda’s northwestern region. The event concludes with an open discussion that invited attendees to join the conversation around refugee-focused design projects.