The Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 commenced for the first time ever with a curator of African descent, Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lesley Lokko. At this year's event, the Global South would become a site of experimentation with its main exhibitions spotlighting Africa and the African Diaspora.

But ahead of the Biennale, reports emerged of Lokko expressing ‘frustration,’ as she faced difficulties with securing visas and paying participants. Why were these participants denied visas for the Africa-themed Biennale?

We wait to see how the Biennale unfolds with promised diasporic representation against intimidating political powers. At the opening conference of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, Lokko said, “This is not a new story. It's an old and familiar tale, if not to many in this audience then to the global majority who are not here.”
In a world enriched by diasporic labour, when will we not need to pull an extra seat at the table?