Tobiloba Akibo
“How do we practice landscape democracy?”
The Transcript
As a landscape architect, Tobiloba has dedicated her career to shaping spaces that reflect and enhance the Nigerian experience. She has a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Lagos and a Bachelor of Architecture from Covenant University.
Her work blends historical preservation with contemporary design, exploring how open spaces can evolve to meet the needs of modern society across projects ranging from residential gardens to public parks and heritage sites.
She is committed to exploring, documenting and preserving historic landscapes and the evolution of landscape architecture styles within open spaces in pre and post-colonial Nigeria. She has volunteered
with Legacy 1995, a historical preservation group in Nigeria focused on preserving historic monuments and sites in Nigeria, is a registered member of the Society of Landscape Architects in Nigeria (SLAN), and International
Council on Monuments and Sites ( ICOMOS) Nigeria, and currently chairs the IFLA Africa Communications and External Relations committee. She was a 2023 artist-in-residence at the Kòbọmọjẹ́ Artist Residency.
Her work blends historical preservation with contemporary design, exploring how open spaces can evolve to meet the needs of modern society across projects ranging from residential gardens to public parks and heritage sites.
She is committed to exploring, documenting and preserving historic landscapes and the evolution of landscape architecture styles within open spaces in pre and post-colonial Nigeria. She has volunteered
with Legacy 1995, a historical preservation group in Nigeria focused on preserving historic monuments and sites in Nigeria, is a registered member of the Society of Landscape Architects in Nigeria (SLAN), and International
Council on Monuments and Sites ( ICOMOS) Nigeria, and currently chairs the IFLA Africa Communications and External Relations committee. She was a 2023 artist-in-residence at the Kòbọmọjẹ́ Artist Residency.
She describes her work ethos in the following way:
I believe that by understanding our past, we can create more meaningful and sustainable futures. My experience in public park design, private residential landscaping, and heritage preservation has equipped me with the skills to transform spaces into vibrant and inviting environments. Inspired by a collective of designers and researchers called ‘No design on stolen land’, I've been deeply reflecting on the role of landscape architecture in shaping society. I believe that our profession has the power to challenge historical injustices and promote social equity. Through my work, I aim to fight for our right to tell our own stories and to be the curators of our own heritage.
In this episode, Tobiloba and I talked about transformative environmental justice in Nigeria, Lekki as prime example of land dispossession in Lagos in the name of capitalist modernism, the challenges that come up in translating and applying current popular Western frameworks of social justice in Nigeria, and why we need more Nigerians, individuals and institutions alike, to fund social research.
Timestamps
01:19 Lekki, Lekki, Lekki
07:29 Wetin concern me concern government property?
11:56 ‘We were only four in my Landscape Architecture class.’
20:54 Landscape for the people by the people
29:49 Elsewheres: Transformative environmental justice practices in Nigeria
Full transcript to be uploaded soon.