What’s the main theme in this issue and why?
An important part of our work at Loké Journal is to foreground narratives that are underrepresented in architecture and design. Our themes are chosen to facilitate this work. For the current issue, the theme is 'Understanding'. We explore how this idea manifests within several distinct and intersecting spaces of making. Through this, the issue anticipates some of the social upheaval that we have seen in 2020 and reflects on how deepening our understanding, with its emotional and educational dimensions, can be a foundation for cultivating social cohesion and diminishing inequality.
 
Is there a story behind the cover art?
This photo was taken during the construction of Active Social Architecture's Rugerero Health Center in Rubavu, Rwanda. For a project of this scale, members of the local community will intermittently participate in the construction, where alongside employment, there are opportunities to receive on-the-job-training. The original purpose of the image was to inform the architects of the building's progress, which makes it a functional part of the design process. As a cover, it is having a second life.

When is the best moment to read this issue?
The best moment to read this issue is when you want to consider design more holistically, as a global practice with diverse historical, social, economic, and cultural dimensions.

What is the best soundtrack for this issue?
This issue was made while listening to 1970s psychedelic music from Benin and Togo. It should serve as a good accompaniment to this work.