YANA (Young Aspiring Nigerian Architects), is a community that connects aspiring Nigerian architects around the world. YANA was founded in 2017 by Mayo Akin-Oteniya and Ife Somefun to strengthen and encourage its members on their architectural journey.
As part of YANA’s vision, it aims to:
- Celebrate and promote its members' achievements
- Champion members creative skills and artistry
- Develop its members' architectural and design skills
- Share knowledge on Nigerian architecture
For its growing community of 150+ members, YANA fulfils its aims through a variety of online and in-person events such as exhibitions, meet- ups, and talks.
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While YANA focuses primarily on the architectural journey we recognise that the path sometimes branches out and is accompanied by other creative disciplines.
If you would like to join the YANA Community please register here.
Ife Somefun is the co-founder of YANA. Ife is a RIBA Part 1 graduate from the Architectural Association. Her work focuses on creating value from waste and promoting a zero-waste lifestyle. In 2021 she established Fantastic Plastic Studio which creates household items from plastic waste.
Mayo Akin-Oteniya is the co-founder of YANA. She is passionate about design and creativity on numerous levels which stems from her background in art, design and photography. She values community and has a desire to create spaces that encourage and strengthen communities all over the world. Mayo is a RIBA Part 1 Graduate and is currently working as a Marketing Assistant.
Bunmi Agusto is a visual artist whose practice focuses on the creation of a psycho-spatial planet. Through the act of world building, her work invokes fantasy, cultural theory, and architectural development amongst other themes. Agusto graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins and is currently an MA candidate in History of Art & Archaeology at SOAS University.
IFE SOMEFUN
Co-Founder
MAYO AKIN-OTENIYA
Co-Founder
BUNMI AGUSTO
Research Curator
