Cycling Research From Africa
The Cycling Roundup
Today we aim the spotlight at three of our five scholarship recipients who presented their work at the Cycling Research Board Annual Meeting (CRBAM) 2024 in Zürich. Winnie Sambu, Paloma Chuquín Alarcón, and Inah Eteng Okon write about their CRBAM presentations and research based in African countries in exclusive articles for Urban Cycling Institute. Learn more about each of them below.
Urban Cycling Institute’s scholarship program was founded with an aim to give voice to researchers from the Global South and underrepresented communities at international conferences. We want to continue supporting them for Cycling Research Board Annual Meeting in Amsterdam and Velo-City in Gdansk. Become a sponsor and help us awarding even more scholarships in 2025!
What Can the Bicycle Teach Us That We Don’t Already Know?
By Winnie Sambu, Research Manager at World Bicycle Relief (WBR)
Winnie shares 5 key lessons that she learned from her experience working with women from communities across Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya.
As WBR’s research manager, I have the unique privilege of learning directly from program beneficiaries from across five countries in Africa and South America, nearly 70% of whom are women. So, what has the bicycle taught me that I did not know three years ago, prior to joining WBR?
Cycling: A Choice for All?
By Paloma Chuquín Alarcón, Architect & Urban Planner
Paloma gives a testimony of daily struggles of cyclists from Diepsloot, a township in Johannesburg, South Africa, who oftentimes remain invisible due to their citizenship status.
Cycling can be a liberating mode of transportation when we can choose it. However, it becomes far less appealing when it is a necessity. Such is the case of most cyclists in Diepsloot, a township in Johannesburg, South Africa.
What Can Institutional Logistics Tell Us About Cycling in African Contexts?
By Inah Eteng Okon, Professor of Urban and Regional Development Planning, University of Calabar, Nigeria, Visiting Scholar at Urban Cycling Institute.
Inah compares institutional logics for urban mobility choices amongst Nigerian urban residents and African diaspora in Netherlands, and suggests what we can learn from these differences.
There is a glimmer of hope for bicycling in Nigeria and Africa as institutional logics reveal a cycling culture that has been neglected over the years.
