As a former apartheid-era South African “Bantustan” capital city, Mmabatho (now Mahikeng) was planned in the 1970s as a receiving site of forced relocation. Its built environment reflected a set of desires for historical top-down planning and political-economic ‘separate development,’ driven by white supremacy, profit, and graft. In many ways Mahikeng’s built environment today still reflects these historic processes of displaced urbanization. Stefan Chavez-Norgaard explores how urban space in Mahikeng was produced and in what ways uses of space today match or diverge from original apartheid-era plans and visions. His presentation examines how various actors have responded to top-down planning and displaced urbanization through subtle and explicit repertoires of struggle.

Snacks and refreshments

will be served