Our inaugural Nomadic African Studio was held in Fez, Morocco, from 18 July – 15 August, 2025, coincidentally the hottest months of the year! It was a seminal gathering: 9 faculty, 27 participants and 6 staff came from all over the African continent and its vast diaspora to work, exchange, bond, argue, agree and disagree . . . daily. It was a unique gathering in too many ways to count. For some, it was the first time leaving their home countries; for others, they journeyed half way across the world to be there. Over the course of four weeks, we explored new ways of thinking, working, designing, making, critiquing and reflecting. Participants worked in groups of 5–7, came together each week in a variety of programmes and events, from film clubs to participant-initiated and moderated discussions, faculty seminars and lectures, weekly ‘Crossover’ reviews with invited critics and guests and memorable field trips around Fez and beyond. Our host faculty, Prof Aziza Chaouni and Prof Sean Anderson showed us hidden parts of the medina and the new city, sought (and won) permission for us to enter closed-to-the-public sites and facilitated exchanges with students and faculty at EUROMED’s School of Architecture.

Three participants accepted the invitation and challenge to become faculty in the upcoming 2026 Nomadic African Studio in Accra, Ghana. Others made connections that led to employment in other countries in Africa; others formed collectives to seek out research and publication opportunities; some will participate in this year’s Pan-African Biennale and others contributed towards an upcoming publication, Butabu Remix, which will be launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair in autumn 2026 and will be available across Africa, digitally as well as physically.