MISSION AND GOALS
Of the 24 total students in the joint Design and Africana Studies course, 16 were in the College of Design representing all departments and the School of Architecture. The work included was produced in first summer session and included an intensive period of action project development. on the Playtime in Africa site. The focus of the 2014 studio was a partnership with the Mmofra Foundation and design collaboration on their Playtime In Africa site in Ghana’s capital city, Accra.“Mmofra” is an Akan word meaning “children”, and the foundation works to champion the need for accessible and engaging public space for children in Ghana. 9
The studio engaged in conceptual and action projects to better understand the design issues facing children in African cities, as well as strategies for addressing them through collaborative and multidisciplinary work. The products, prototypes of educational play experiences on the site, would be evaluated for their fun and utility but also as artifacts demostrating student learning about Ghanaian art, design, and culture.