Black Females in Architecture (BFA) is a social enterprise supporting a membership of more than 450 Black women in built environment professions worldwide. Founded by architects Neba Sere, Selasi Setufe, and Akua Danso, the group advocates for diversity, race and gender equity across all sectors of the built environment, including architecture, urbanism, landscape, engineering, design, and construction.
We are happy to premiere their short film "A Voice for the 450 Plus" to a global audience for the first time since it was shown at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. The film is a celebration of the ongoing contributions of Black women in the built environment fields, showing the world how they contribute to shaping the future of our cities.
Tackling representational issues and reshaping a Western-centric built environment is BFA's explicit goal since its founding in 2018. Some techniques to achieve this will be building on the connections from the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale and upping in-person meetings and collaboration between members.
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In a recent interview with ArchDaily, co-founder Neba Sere explained BFA's approach:
Now that we've laid the groundwork, we are seeking out collaborations. We are seeking out moments where we can be involved in an art exhibition or designing a fit-out or urban planning. It can be from very small to very big. But I think for us to prove the point that our voices should be included in the conversations of the built environment, we need to be able to do the work as well, not just talk about it. That will be our focus for the next five years.
BFA is launching its first research-led project on March 20th.
The project is titled ‘ma’ – a term of endearment and respect used to refer to matriarchs in the African context. The research title also plays on the academic abbreviation for a ‘Master of Arts’. The project looks ‘back home’, exploring matriarchal, spatial practices on the African continent as a catalyst to establishing BFA's creative practice both in the UK and on the continent.
More about the project launch and how to support Black Females in Architecture
Film credits
Title: BFA's contribution 'A Voice for the 450 Plus' to the Curator's Special Projects at the Biennale Architettura 2023 curated by Lesley Lokko.
Team: Nyasha Michelle, Tamed Designs.
With the additional support of: African Futures Institute, The Africa Centre
