CIA-Lagos 2020+ Beyond COVID-19 Interim Review 02 & Talk by Fola Laoye

neo-politics
C I A
C u l t u r a l I n t e l l e c t u a l A s s o c i a t i o n
L a g o s
NEO POLITICS:
CIA-Lagos Governance cell.
The Governance Cell is a fallout from the post Covid 19 inquiry of the CIA-Lagos. The
question of how we can extend our voices as architects beyond buildings, beyond
shaping urban fabric and into the mainstream of contemporary policy formulation
and political thought begs for answers. We believe the architect can bring to bear a
wealth of creative, technical and intellectual thinking on the politics of the day and
how it affects us and our communities vis a vis our quest to improve the quality of
the spaces we inhabit.
The world faces yet another recession in less than 10 years. Economic and political
responses are taking on more of a nationalistic approach as the tilt towards country
first and home grown ideas take center stage. For us, the realities of generations of
negligent and sub par leadership stare us in the face as we grapple with a dwindling
means of sustenance as a nation. Decrepit infrastructures, a battered health and
near comatose education systems among other issues exacerbate the problem.
What’s the way forward?
Perhaps time to look inward and start to develop homegrown ideas, redefine the
term “third world” and reclaim its true meaning beyond the concept of non
alignment. Conservative, grounded, earthbound cultures steeped in deeply esoteric
oral traditions, seeing in time and not necessarily space, communal societies. This
was and (in many ways still is) at the center of these cultures. Essentially, these were
at the core of the meaning of the phrase when Jawaharlal Nehru coined the term
amongst other good things. Not the bastardized use of the term in today's world
connoting "underdevelopment".
As the generation of youth next in line to take over the mantle of leadership we
believe this cell provides an opportunity to contribute our quota and lend our voices
to this process of rebirth, re orientation of mental attitudes and real change for good
in society. Hence the cell aspires towards the following;
Aim:
The articulation and dissemination to the populace and custodians of power for the
implementation of people centric policy ideas formulated by research and
community engagement for the purpose of expanded political, social and economic
opportunity for all.
Fab-Lab 07: Lagos 2020+ post COVID-19 Interim Review 02 02.04.20