INTRODUCTION In this thesis, Afrofuturism is utilized as a tool to visualize what an African solution to the evergrowing population in the Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya could look like. Perhaps Kakuma can become a thriving futuristic community that contributes great financial wealth to the Kenyan government and a city where refugees can imagine creating a long-lasting and fulfilling life for themselves. The thesis explores movements such as; Afrofuturism, Paper Architecture, informal marketplaces as urban anchors, shanty building practices, and futuristic shanty town imagery. These explorations attempt to not only make sense of the very real transition that Kakuma Refugee camp is currently undergoing but also speculate about its possible future as an economically independent city. The title, “Europe is Not My Centre,” is a quote from a 1998 interview with Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène. In the interview, Oliver Barlet asks Sembène if his films are understood in Europe to which Sembene responds “Europe is not my center and I’m less concerned about the success of my films there” (Dewaele, 2007). He emphasizes that the target audience for his films is not in Europe so therefore it does not matter if his films are understood there. This statement embodies all that this thesis hopes to accomplish in its goals to envision the future of Kakuma not as a patchwork of humanitarian aid, but as a bustling city.
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