LAGO-COLLECTIVE

Welcoming Rita Agyen Takyi as the new Senior Adviser to LAGO Collective and the Africa-Europe Mayors' Dialogue 🎉 A powerhouse in policy engagement and international affairs, Rita has been instrumental in forging connections between cities, policymakers, and global institutions. Based in Accra, Rita will join Marvin Rees OBE, Visiting Senior Fellow at ODI Global, in supporting our work with cities through the Mayors’ Dialogue. Founded in 2020 by the Mayors of Freetown and Milan, the Dialogue fosters collaboration between African and European mayors to drive inclusive growth and sustainable urban development. The platform is hosted by LAGO and ODI Global, with support from The Robert Bosch Stiftung. With the G20’s presidency held by an African country (South Africa) for the first time, 2025 presents a key opportunity for African cities to shape global and urban futures. As part of our work on city diplomacy, Rita will support efforts to ensure that cities play a central role in these discussions.  Rita was until recently advising the Mayor of Accra on international engagement and worked closely with the Accra municipality and local and international leaders in the city. In a recent Business & Financial Times opinion piece, she highlights the power of city diplomacy in shaping Africa’s future: “City diplomacy provides a platform to engage global actors while retaining local agencies. The next decade is critical. How we design and develop our urban spaces will determine the continent’s future in trade, economic growth, and climate resilience. By leveraging the ingenuity of our cities and the energy of our youth, African cities can position themselves as leaders in global sustainability and innovation.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e7zBaKZu We’re very excited for what’s ahead! 🇬🇭🚀🌍✨ #Leadership #CityNetworks #PolicyInnovation #G20 #U20 #London #Accra  ODI Global Robert Bosch Stiftung Moleskine Foundation Raphaela Schweiger Davide Bracci Rita Agyen Takyi Marta Foresti Marvin Rees OBE Mayors Migration Council

A lot of back and forward to and from Milan 🇮🇹 lately, largely family related. Still, the fact that the LAGO Foundation is here makes a big difference. Going ‘back home’ was never for me but there is a lot here to build and make happen. Just give it a little time… https://lnkd.in/g9jPt8nQ With many of you 🙏 LAGO-COLLECTIVE Federica Fragapane Federica Pascotto Adama Sanneh Francesco Billari Moleskine Foundation Yayra Agbofah Formafantasma Sara Sozzani Maino Luigi Bechini Raphaela Schweiger Milano Mediterranea Ashoka Italia Davide Agazzi BASE Milano Sara Candiracci Federico Mento Alessandra Gariboldi Marina Mussapi Daniele Carlini Laurence Hart

LAGO has a new home 🏡 We are now proud residents at Somerset House and are very excited to join other London based creatives and enterpreneurs in this beautiful and iconic building on such a bright sunny day ☀️. We are grateful to be part of this important initiative to create affordable space and useful connections for creatives. A workspace is not just a space to work, it is also a community. And this is what Somerset House Exchange is all about. Looking forward to connecting with new and old friends in this beautiful space ✨ #somersethouseexchange #somersethousestudios #workspace #newoffuce

Migration is about more than crossing borders. The Beauty of Movement Substack brings together thoughts, images, and sounds to help build bridges across the real and imaginary borders that divide us. 💌 Subscribe now to explore stories, reflections, and perspectives on the movement of people, curated by Marta Foresti and the LAGO Collective team Ruby Harvey & Kenji Maghoma. You can expect to see guest contributions from experts across the arts, design, research and policy making. Stay tuned for updates: https://lnkd.in/dbmbfG2R

The discomfort of aid 📍 A rarther emotional post, full of inverted commas and strong words to share my thoughts and feelings about the destruction of USAID and where we are at in the aid and development sector. The problem with aid is not money, but the story we tell. In an increasingly divided world, far from creating a common ground, aid divides us across borders 🤔. Perhaps controversial to some, perhaps nothing new to others - but bridging this divide we must. Please read, tell me what you think and share widely 🙏 https://lnkd.in/eyyF3aH9 #aid #usaid #trump #musk #development #globaldev #migration

🎧 AIGA Design Podcast: Unveiling the Power of Design + Performance 🎭⁠ ⁠ How can design go beyond visuals to actively perform and generate knowledge? In this episode, hosts Lee-Sean Huang and Giulia Donatello chat with Marta Foresti and Federica Fragapane of LAGO-COLLECTIVE. Together, they explore how design shapes narratives, influences public discourse, and inspires meaningful change.⁠ ⁠ 💬 "Design is not just about representing data or creating beautiful visuals—it’s about performing and generating knowledge that engages and informs."⁠ ⁠ Marta and Federica share how they challenge traditional imagery, blend qualitative and quantitative data, and use intentional design to tell truthful stories that combat misinformation and shift public narratives.⁠ ⁠ 🎙️ Listen now on AIGA Design Podcast channels and discover how design can create knowledge and drive change. What story would you bring to LAGO-COLLECTIVE? 🔗 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eKjB7nCM 🔗 Youtube: https://lnkd.in/esf-m6sN

A review of one of my favourite films, 'The Edge of Heaven', a moving exploration of borders, conflicting identities and the unpredictability of life, shot between Bremen, Hamburg, Istanbul and Trabzon. For LAGO Collective's 'Beauty of Movement' Substack. Read more & subscribe here - https://lnkd.in/eJMV_C2P

Poor, old Europe 👵 🇪🇺 This is a cool visualisation indeed by The Guardian showing clearly how much worse off Europe is without immigration. https://lnkd.in/eriTAymC The challenge to us all, with yet another wave of right wing nationalism underway, is: how do we turn these facts into a compelling and coherent story about the value and contribution of the people behind these numbers? This is what I have learnt: so long as these much needed young people, workers, entrepreneurs, sport women and men, colleagues, neighbours and friends are ‘migrants’, are ‘them’ and not ‘us’, we just don’t stand a chance. This is what LAGO-COLLECTIVE is all about 💫 #immigration #europe #germanelections

On The Other Side 🛬 In the latest 'Beauty of Movement' Substack, Ruby Harvey from the LAGO team reflects on crossings, borders and the evolving boundaries of identity, culture and morality, as told through ‘The Edge of Heaven’, a film by Fatih Akin.     “Identity is not a treasure that once you find it you keep it for the rest of your life. Because of circumstances, it’s changing and I try to explain that.” - Fatih Akin, 2008 Through six interconnected stories, this film dives into the messy, unpredictable realities of belonging and the struggles people face when caught between cultures.  Read the full article on our Substack here https://lnkd.in/eJMV_C2P #TheEdgeOfHeaven #Migration #Identity #FatihAkin

🎧 AIGA Design Podcast: Unveiling the Power of Design + Performance 🎭⁠ ⁠ How can design go beyond visuals to actively perform and generate knowledge? In this episode, hosts Lee-Sean Huang and Giulia Donatello chat with Marta Foresti and Federica Fragapane of LAGO-COLLECTIVE. Together, they explore how design shapes narratives, influences public discourse, and inspires meaningful change.⁠ ⁠ 💬 "Design is not just about representing data or creating beautiful visuals—it’s about performing and generating knowledge that engages and informs."⁠ ⁠ Marta and Federica share how they challenge traditional imagery, blend qualitative and quantitative data, and use intentional design to tell truthful stories that combat misinformation and shift public narratives.⁠ ⁠ 🎙️ Listen now on AIGA Design Podcast channels and discover how design can create knowledge and drive change. What story would you bring to LAGO-COLLECTIVE? 🔗 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eKjB7nCM 🔗 Youtube: https://lnkd.in/esf-m6sN