Dr Fatima Cassim, from the Information Design division, was invited by Tongji University’s College of Design and Innovation to present at the inaugural China-Africa Design Summit. The Summit was held on 15 October in Shanghai, China, as part of the Tongji Design Week 2019. 

The theme of the summit, Tapping into nature’s wisdom, was aimed at how regional traditions and local wisdom can inspire design and innovation. Design practitioners and educators from China and Africa were given a platform to share their best practice and to dialogue about design challenges in the respective countries. 

In response, Dr Cassim’s paper focused on design projects in South Africa – both in the classroom and in the community – to illustrate the value of play in the design process. More specifically, she highlighted how play facilitates more localised design practice, which in turn, results in more appropriate and meaningful social innovation. Dr Cassim also participated in a panel discussion with speakers from China, Taiwan Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa.

In addition to the China-Africa Design Summit, the design week also included a conference on emerging practices in design in light of artificial intelligence, as well as numerous workshops and exhibitions.