Lesley Lokko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lesley Lokko OBE
Lokko in 2010
Born	Lesley Naa Norle Lokko 1964 (age 60–61) Dundee, Scotland
Nationality	Ghanaian-Scottish
Alma mater	University College London
Occupation	Academic, novelist
Known for	Founder of African Futures Institute
Awards	RIBA Annie Spink Award (2020) Ada Louise Huxtable Prize (2021) Royal Gold Medal (2024)

Lesley Naa Norle Lokko (born in 1964) is a talented Ghanaian-Scottish person. She is known as an academic (someone who teaches and studies at a university) and a novelist (a writer of books).

From 2019 to 2020, she was a professor and the dean of the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture in New York. She also taught in cities like Johannesburg, London, Accra, and Edinburgh.

In 2015, Lokko started the Graduate School of Architecture (GSA) at the University of Johannesburg. This was a special school in Africa for students studying architecture after their first degree. In 2021, she moved back to Accra, Ghana. There, she created the African Futures Institute. This is another school for advanced architecture studies and a place for public events.

In January 2024, Lesley Lokko received the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA). This is one of the highest awards in the world for architecture. She was also named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2024.

Early Life and Education

Lesley Lokko was born in 1964 in Dundee, Scotland. Her father was a Ghanaian surgeon (a doctor who performs operations). Her mother was Scottish Jewish. Lesley grew up living in both Ghana and Scotland.

When she was 17, she went to a private boarding school in England. She started studying Hebrew and Arabic at Oxford University. However, she later left that program to go to the United States. She earned her architecture degrees from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, in 1992 and 1995. She then got her PhD in architecture from the University of London in 2007.

Career Highlights

Lesley Lokko has had an amazing career both as a writer and in architecture.

As a Writer and Editor

Many of Lokko's books explore themes about different cultures and personal identity. She has given many talks in South Africa. She has also taught in the United Kingdom and the United States. She writes regularly for The Architectural Review magazine.

In 2004, Lokko published her first novel, Sundowners. This book became a bestseller. She has written 11 more novels since then. Some of her other books include Saffron Skies (2005) and Bitter Chocolate (2008). Her novels are often described as "glam lit." They feature women with exciting jobs who travel the world. These women meet interesting people in stories with clever twists. In 2020, she published her novel Soul Sisters.

She also wrote an essay called "No more than three, please!" for the 2019 book New Daughters of Africa. This book was put together by Margaret Busby.

Architecture and Teaching

Lesley Lokko has taught architecture all over the world. Before returning to the UK, she was a professor at Iowa State University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2000, she became a visiting professor at the University of Michigan.

She then moved back to the United Kingdom for almost ten years. During this time, she taught architecture at Kingston University and the University of Westminster. At Westminster, she started a special Master of Arts program. This program focused on Architecture, Cultural Identity, and Globalisation.

Lokko later returned to South Africa. She was a visiting African scholar at the University of Cape Town. In 2014-2015, she partnered with the University of Johannesburg. Together, they created the Graduate School of Architecture (GSA). She became its director. The GSA is special because it is the only school in Africa that uses the "Unit System" for teaching architecture. This system is like those used at famous schools like Harvard University and London's Architectural Association.

In June 2019, she was chosen to be the dean of the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture in City College of New York. She held this important position until 2020.

In 2021, she returned to Ghana. There, she founded the African Futures Institute (AFI) in Accra. This is a school for advanced architecture studies and a place for public events.

In 2021, Lokko was chosen to be the curator for the 18th Venice Biennale of Architecture. This is a very important international architecture exhibition. She was the first Black person ever to be the curator of the Biennale. The exhibition was called "The Laboratory of the Future." It focused on two main ideas: decolonisation and decarbonisation. Lokko said it was about "a glimpse of future practices and ways of seeing and being in the world." She also stated, "It is impossible to build a better world if one cannot first imagine it."

Awards and Recognition

Lesley Lokko has received many important awards for her work.

In 2020, she won the RIBA Annie Spink Award. This award recognizes excellence in teaching architecture. In 2021, she received the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for her contributions to architecture.

In 2023, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This honor was given for her services to architecture and education.

In January 2024, Lokko was given the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). This is one of the highest honors in architecture worldwide. It celebrates a person's lifetime work and their big influence on architecture. She is the first African woman and only the second Black architect to receive this award since it began in 1848.

Muyiwa Oki, the president of RIBA, described her as "a fierce champion of equity and inclusion." He said that Lesley Lokko's way of teaching architecture offers hope for the future. It helps create a profession that welcomes everyone and cares about the environment.

In 2024, Lesley Lokko was included on the Time 100 list. This list features the 100 most influential people in the world. In December 2024, she was also on the BBC's 100 Women list.

Selected Books by Lesley Lokko

• 2004: Sundowners
• 2005: Saffron Skies
• 2008: Bitter Chocolate
• 2009: Rich Girl, Poor Girl
• 2010: One Secret Summer
• 2011: A Private Affair
• 2012: An Absolute Deception
• 2014: Little White Lies
• 2016: The Last Debutante
• 2021: Soul Sisters

Books Edited by Lesley Lokko

• 2000: White Papers, Black Marks: Architecture, Race, Culture
• 2017: FOLIO: Journal of Contemporary African Architecture Vol. 1
• 2020: FOLIO: Journal of Contemporary African Architecture Vol. 2

See also

In Spanish: Lesley Lokko para niños