Initiative Afrique – Philipa Birago Akuoko

Initiative Afrique Podcast

Gender studies and women’s welfare in global south cities

Philipa Birago Akuoko arrived in Bern to pursue a PhD at the Institute of Geography two years ago from Kumasi, Ghana. She is an urban development researcher focusing on spatial planning and informal economy through predominantly qualitative case studies and mixed-method approaches. Her interest also covers gender studies and women’s welfare in global south cities. Her biggest challenge at the University of Bern has been living alone without her infants and family, “fighting loneliness” every day. On the positive side, what she values most is the swiss canton’s uniqueness, the fact that each one has its identity and iconic image. She feels that one of her roles as an African researcher is to show other people what an African is; as an African woman, her role is to highlight misconceptions. She explained to us how important community building is for Africans and how much Africans love the idea of identifying with others. She suggested that Initiative Afrique could promote more social activities, such as a monthly lunch to share different cultures in a more informal environment. When asked about how to improve research collaborations south-north Philipa mentioned that Swiss researchers could benefit from the local environment, by getting in contact with researchers in Ghana through research stays.

Moderator: Djouroukoro Diallo. Production: Patricia Teixidor

Music: Intro and outro: "Yadina" (xylophone duet). CD 1. MBUDI MBUDI NA MHANGA-NYMBO ZA WADODO. The Musical Universe of the Wagogo Children from Tanzania. ©PoloVallejo. Musical pauses: Crowander, "Afronauts"; Blue Dot Sessions, "Dirtbike lovers"; Blue Dot Sessions, "Around plastic card tables". Free Music Archive.

Members of the Initiative Afrique community at the University of Bern (Switzerland) introduce themselves in a series of podcasts.