The Pan-African Biennale (PAB) is the first continental architecture biennale in history, a Pan-African institution conceived by Africans to advance African architectural thought, practice and exchange on the world stage. Its inaugural edition is set to debut at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on September 7 and continue through September 11 across venues in Nairobi, bringing together participants and perspectives from all 54 African nations and beyond, under the theme Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience.

PAB exists because African architectural thought has for too long been narrated by others, fragmented across borders or filtered through institutions that were never built to hold a continental vision. It was founded to create a platform through which Africans can convene, exchange, question, imagine and shape the future of the continent on our own terms. At the heart of this vision is a core principle: a continental institution must be built collectively. PAB was never conceived as belonging to one individual, organisation, professional association or country.

Over the past 18 months, PAB has been built entirely through voluntary labour, from its curatorial vision and programme to its partnerships, continental networks and delivery infrastructure. This work has been carried out by a talented multidisciplinary team working across Africa and beyond, and that collective labour is fundamental to the identity of PAB and deserves to be recognised and protected. Collaboration has been central to how PAB has developed, and we have actively sought relationships with institutions and individuals who share our belief in building across borders, disciplines and perspectives.

As a Pan-African institution built to eventually rotate across the continent rather than remain tied to any single city, PAB's inaugural edition is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, where, in building toward this edition, we sought to build relationships with local institutions, including the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK). As part of that relationship, a senior member of AAK, also served on PAB's Advisory Board, and we recognise the contributions made through both the relationship and the advisory role. Our intention was never for the breakdown of this relationship to become a matter of public discourse, and we have sought to navigate these differences privately and respectfully. However, as an institution built through the trust, labour and support of a wide community, we also have a responsibility to be transparent when circumstances affect the work we have collectively and tirelessly built.

Throughout the relationship, PAB made multiple attempts to establish a clear and collaborative framework with AAK, including efforts to agree and sign an MoU and establish shared ways of working. These attempts did not result in a mutually agreed framework, making clear that the two organisations held fundamentally different understandings of the relationship. Rather than a model in which AAK and PAB could work collectively as distinct institutions, the direction proposed by AAK wasn't a partnership but rather an absorption of the work PAB had developed, taking the Biennale in a fundamentally different direction. This was incompatible with the basis on which the relationship had been pursued and the principles on which the Biennale itself was founded, and it failed to recognise the collective labour, relationships and continental vision built over 18 months by a voluntary team across Africa and beyond. 

We believe our community deserves clarity about this moment, while recognising that the breakdown of one relationship is only a small part of PAB's much wider story. The Pan-African Biennale is an independent Pan-African institution, registered in Kenya and Rwanda, with its own leadership, structures and continental mandate. Partnerships and advisory relationships are an important part of PAB's work and help inform its direction, but they do not constitute ownership or institutional control of the Biennale. Ultimately, that responsibility rests with PAB's own leadership and the community that has built it.

As PAB continues to grow, we remain committed to Pan-Africanism, collectivism, collaboration, openness and creating space for African architectural thought on its own terms. We are incredibly proud to be working alongside an extraordinary array of local, continental and international partners who embody these principles and share our belief in collaboration, reciprocity and collective endeavour. This September, we are excited to bring together architects, artists, designers, researchers, students, institutions, communities and thinkers from across all 54 African nations and the wider diaspora in Nairobi, creating a space for exchange, imagination and the collective shaping of African architectural futures.

This is what PAB was created for, and we look forward to building it together.

Press office

press@panafricanbiennale.org

As the inaugural Pan-African Biennale approaches its opening, we wish to share a clear and direct statement about the institution, its identity, and its official channels of communication.

The Pan-African Biennale is the first continental architecture biennale in history, a permanent, independent institution whose founding purpose is to amplify Pan-African dialogue and discourse, and to support the local communities, organisations, and partners who make that dialogue possible. Its inaugural edition opens on 7 September 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, running through 11 September 2026.

The Pan-African Biennale's main exhibition is free and open to all. Any additional programming, events, or activities carrying a fee will be communicated exclusively through www.panafricanbiennale.org and official

Pan-African Biennale communications. The Pan-African Biennale has not authorised any third party to collect fees, sell tickets, or register attendees on its behalf.

All official information regarding the Pan-African Biennale, its programme, its participants, its partners, its publication, its venues, and its institutional activities is published exclusively through www.panafricanbiennale.org and official communications issued by the Pan-African Biennale. Any claims of partnership, co-organisation, co-founding, or institutional association that do not originate from these channels do not represent the institution.

Official partners are listed exclusively on our website. No partnership, affiliation, or institutional relationship with the Pan-African Biennale exists unless formally confirmed through our official channels.

We are grateful for the extraordinary support, interest, and solidarity the Pan-African Biennale has received from across the continent and the world. We look forward to welcoming you to Nairobi in September.

For any direct questions or information, please contact us at the addresses below.

Press office

press@panafricanbiennale.org