Tales after Forced Eviction: Home, Resilience, Return, and Reconstruction

2025

Direction with Wakana Shiino, Saori Imoto, Kithinji Knyua

Overview

This exhibition, Tales after Forced Eviction: Home, Resilience, Return, and Reconstruction, focuses on the residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, who were forcibly evicted from their homes by the authorities but returned to rebuild their lives and homes. The exhibition consists of two projects, Materiality of Lives and Rebuilding Home and Dignity, which highlight the resilience and creativity of the residents while also addressing critical issues such as land use, poverty, and urban governance.
The exhibition is the result of collaboration among experts from various fields, including art, anthropology, architecture, and politics. While informal settlements are often discussed from a "support and aid" perspective, this exhibition aims to explore the multifaceted relationship between people, their homes, and society through the lens of resident-driven rebuilding. It also seeks to resonate with issues of disaster recovery and regional revitalization in Japan, offering perspectives that encourage reflection on sustainable societies and global human rights challenges.

本展示「レジリエント・ライフ:強制撤去からの帰還と再建」は、ケニアの首都ナイロビにあるムクル・クワ・ンジェンガを舞台に、家を強制撤去された住民が元の土地に戻り住居を再建する姿を記録するプロジェクトである。展示は、Materiality of LivesRebuilding Home and Dignityの2つのプロジェクトで構成されており、住民のレジリエンスやクリエイティブ・リユースの精神を提示しつつ、土地利用、貧困、行政上の問題といった課題にも目を向けている。
この展示は、アート、人類学、建築学、政治学など多分野の専門家が協働して成立している。インフォーマル居住区に関する調査が「支援や援助」の視点で語られることが多い中で、住民自身による家の再建を通して「人と住まいと社会」の関係を多角的に考察することを目的としている。また、日本の震災復興や地域再生の課題とも共鳴する視点を提供し、持続可能な社会やグローバルな人権問題について再考する契機となることを望んでいる。

The Entrance of the Exhibition

Credits

Exhibition Title: Tales after Forced Eviction: Home, Resilience, Return, and Reconstruction
Exhibition Period: March 2, 2025 (Sun) – March 23, 2025 (Sun), 12:00 – 18:00
Venue: Gallery 6B01, Basement1, Building 6, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Nakano Campus

Project Team Members:
Yasushi Noguchi (Professor, Department of Interactive Media, Tokyo Polytechnic University)
Wakana Shiino (Associate Professor, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
Saori Imoto (Associate Professor, Department of Architecture and Design, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Japan Women’s University)
Kithinji Kinyua (Researcher, Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia University)
Interviewees:
Samuel Kimeu Nzulua, Emma Nduko, Naftali Amukowa Ouma, Judith Adhiambo, Samson Roy Musyoka

Organized by: Noguchi Lab., Department of Interactive Media, Tokyo Polytechnic University
Co-organized by: Field Science Commons, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Imoto Laboratory, Department of Architecture and Design, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Japan Women’s University
Supported by: Tokyo Polytechnic University
Acknowledgments: African Square, Hideto MIyuki, Go Takayama

Official Website: https://r-dimension.xsrv.jp/resilient-life