Francis Kéré

Since 1997, the awards of the Prince Claus Foundation, based in the Netherlands, are presented annually to individuals or organizations whose cultural actions have a positive impact on culture and development, highlighting significant achievements in areas where resources and opportunities are limited. The prize is given in different fields and includes an architecture category that, in the 2017 edition, distinguished Diébédo Francis Kéré, the Burkina Faso architect who that same year also received the Arnold W. Brunner Prize and was commissioned to design the summer Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens. Along with Kéré, the laureates were documentary filmmaker Vincent Carelli (São Paulo, Brazil) and the new media designer and environmentalist Ma Jun (Qingdao, China). Another four prizes went to the documentary filmmaker and activist for women’s rights Khadija Al-Salami (Yemen), to the public art association L’Art Rue (Tunisia), to the scientist and advocate of gender diversity Brigitte Baptiste (Colombia), and to the visual artist and social activist Amar Kanwar (India).