Afaina de Jong is a Surinamese-Dutch architect based in Amsterdam.

She possesses a unique design aesthetic that fuses various international design practices with an underpinning of feminine African design and cultural principles. Afaina bases her distinctive approach to modern and contemporary architecture on the perspective that good design is for everyone and should be accessible to everyone. Working from her down-to-earth design studio, AFARAI, in Amsterdam's historic Jordaan neighborhood, Afaina most recently designed the groundbreaking "Slavery" exhibit for the principal  Dutch National museum, The Rijksmuseum. Four years in the making, this exhibit was the first of its kind in the Netherlands. While heading her design studio, Afaina has been designated as Head of Masters in Contextual Design at Design Academy Eindhoven. We enjoyed sitting down with Afaina in her Amsterdam studio, and we invite you to listen in on our conversation.

AFARAI is an Amsterdam-based architectural agency specializing in spatial design and strategy, led by architect Afaina de Jong. The studio aims to cross the boundaries of the traditional architecture practice by dealing with the existing city with an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach, integrating theory and research with design. As a studio, AFARAI considers itself a feminist practice that encourages change on social and spatial issues and accommodates differences.

Source: http://www.afarai.com/about

Special Thanks to:

Photo credits: Kwadwo Amfo

Kwadwo Amfo on Instagram

A heartfelt thank you to Vangelis Pavlidis of Sanit Mils Records for providing us with the beautiful song, “A L’autre bout de monde” by Bleu Reine. Merci mille fois Bleu Reine

- Sanit Mils Records on Facebook and Instagram

- BLEU REINE on Facebook and Instagram

Orlando Jousset for audio production and copy layout for this episode