ArchiAfrika-April-Magazine-English-final-v2

ArchiAfrika 

M A G A Z I N E 

hugh 

MASAKELA 

APRIL 2013

table of CONTENTS 

4 

6 

10 

18 

28 

32 

38 

EDITORIAL 

By Tuuli Saarela, Editor of ArchiAfrika Magazine 

CHAIRMAN’S CORNER 

- All Roads Lead to Lagos via Mumbai and Accra 

By Joe Osae-Addo, Chairman of ArchiAfrika Foundation 

AFRICA FLOATS TO MILAN 

By Nat Nuno-Amarteifio 

INTERVIEW WITH HUGH 

MASAKELA 

Interview with Hugh Masakela 

THE ROAD TO HERITAGE 

COMpETITION 

By Hugh Masakela 

GREEN & YELLOW DIVIDES 

ADDIS ABABA 

By RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholar, Thomas Aquilina 

IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGIN 

By Jurriaan van Stigt 

54 

62 

74 

84 

90 

96 

CAIRO URBANISM 

- trash becomes cash 

By Zeina Elcheikh 

THE REAL ECONOMY 

- informal housing, work and the future 

a look at Accra and Lagos 

By Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy 

BUILDINGS TELL A STORY 

- 20th century architecture in Kenya 

By Janfrans van der Eerden 

MSc Arch Architect MAAK 

pRESERVING ACCRA’S 

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE 

- the need for restoration and preservation 

Excerpts from a discussion between Nat Armarteifio, Osei 

Agyeman, Senam Okudzeto and Joe Osae-Addo from AiD 13.1 

INTERVIEW WITH NIKOS 

SALINGAROS 

By Zaheer Allam & J. Soopramanien 

AFRICAN pERSpECTIVES 

LAGOS ‘13 

- conference announcement & call for papers

EDITORIAL 

Tuuli Saarela 

Editor of ArchiAfrika Magazine 

Africa is in an economic boom period, but what 

are the true effects on the urban environment? 

Is African heritage threatened as we construct 

gleaming new skyscrapers? Can we re-establish 

the concept of sustainability as a part of our 

heritage and identity, rather than an idea that 

is a purely Western concept? In this month’s 

issue we travel the length and breadth of the 

continent to answer some of these questions: 

from North Africa (Cairo) to South Africa 

( Johannesburg) to the East African hubs of 

(Nairobi and Addis Ababa) as well as West 

Africa (Dogon, Accra and Lagos). 

The contributors in this issue of the 

ArchiAfrika Magazine all speak to common 

themes of heritage, identity, sustainability and 

urban renewal. These will be explored further 

in the 2013 issues of our magazine, to prepare 

us for a fantastic debate and exchange of ideas 

at the sixth African Perspective Conference 

taking place at the Golden Tulip Festac Hotel 

in Lagos Nigeria from December 5-8, 2013. 

Check out the conference announcement and 

call for papers. All Roads Lead to Lagos! 

In this issue, we will explore our heritage 

through the perspective of one of our great 

musical heroes, Hugh Masakela. Hugh has 

long been an activist fighting for the promotion 

of African heritage who reminds us that our 

heritage is something we must preserve, 

protect and promote- something that must be 

recorded and captured before it is lost under 

the deceptive pretense of progress. 

Hugh Masakela and ArchiAfrika are pleased 

to announce the first Road to Heritage 

Competition for African designers, students, 

amateurs and professionals to present 

creative proposals to create and promote 

spaces of heritage. The competition brief 

will be announced in July and entries will be 

considered by a world-class panel of judges. 

We will finally announce the winner in 

December at the AP Conference in Lagos. 

In this issue we also visit Kenya to discover 

how our heritage and our histories are 

under threat. In Nairobi, rapid development 

threatens the city’s visual history and Janfrans 

van der Eerden reminds us that old buildings 

have a story to tell, eliciting thoughts on 

how we can organize to preserve buildings of 

historical and cultural significance. 

Must our histories and heritage be necessarily 

lost under the tides of economic development? 

Can we learn anything from Gilbert Nii- 

Okai Addy who draws parallels between 

contemporary Accra, Lagos and 19th century 

London- cities which all practice slum 

clearing, and cities which ultimately fail to 

bring about changes in social policy towards 

poor people. Interesting thoughts. 

From Addis Ababa, we hear from RIBA 

Norman Foster Travelling Scholar Thomas 

Acquilina who discovers the causes and effects 

of a new government directive to use green 

and yellow iron sheets in demarcation of 

building sites. He goes beyond beautification 

to discover the informal settlements that were 

pushed out and also how the informal economy 

springs up around them. His writings from six 

African cities focus on the recycling practices 

of Africans. 

Some of our peers have begun to question the 

value of sustainability beyond a very alluring 

moral facade. Is sustainability too expensive 

for Africa? What about the uncomfortable 

stigma of sustainability as something that 

is actually opposed to progress? While 

sustainable approaches can help to bring basic 

services to areas that need it most, long-term 

viability may depend on the capacity of the 

solution to generate income. In Cairo, we 

learn from Zeina Elcheikh about how Trash 

becomes Cash in the informal settlement of 

Ezbet Al-Nasr. 

Our contributor Zaheer Allam brings us 

an exclusive interview with Professor Nikos 

Salingaros, the father of the immensely popular 

theory of urban design and fractals, which 

seems to have struck a cord with an African 

audience. In the interview, we hear Nikos 

thoughts on emergent economies, renewable 

energy and sustainable construction. 

Finally, we are reminded that collaboration 

can bring about genuine development of 

craft. It is well known that Europeans have 

long visited Africa for inspiration, but it 

is clear that they also systematically study, 

capture and re-interpret our traditional 

designs into European architectural styles. 

The experience of Foundation Dogon 

Education and its Chairman Jurrian van Stigt 

shows us that true collaboration is never onesided 

but an exchange. An enduring love for 

the Pays Dogon and a respect for traditional 

architecture, have enabled Dutch and Malian 

partners to build schools in Dogon and even 

imported Malian design into the architectural 

heritage of Amsterdam. 

Can contemporary designers establish a true 

balance between modern design and African 

heritage? What does this look like? Can we 

redefine sustainability “In Our Own Words” 

and reconnect to our sustainable indigenous 

pedigree? We hope that you will continue the 

discussions as one of our next contributors for 

the July 2013 issue. Do get in touch with the 

editorial team if you want to contribute to the 

discourse! 

Regards, 

Tuuli Saarela 

4 5

CHAIRMAN’S 

corner 

ALL ROADS 

LEAD TO 

LAGOS VIA 

MUMBAI AND 

ACCRA 

Joe Osae Addo 

Chairman, ArchiAfrika 

I woke up on the 30th floor of the Renaissance 

Hotel in Mumbai to a spectacular view of 

the lake and the high rises beyond, a far cry 

from the intensely chaotic, but seemingly 

synchronized traffic of the previous night’s 

arrival in the city from Mumbai airport. The 

experience of arriving in Mumbai is strangely 

familiar to that of arrival in Lagos and to a 

lesser extent, Accra. The familiarity of these 

experiences is a clear vestige of colonial British 

rule. 

Deep thoughts abound as I 

reflect on what Ghana, and 

the other colonies, could have 

become and suddenly I find 

myself reminiscing about 

the Ghana of my childhood 

in the early 1970’s. Ghana in 

those days appeared idyllic 

with exposure to a modern 

way of life firmly rooted in 

the passionate love for our 

traditions, passed on from 

our grand parents. 

The previous generation of non-Accra folk, 

were born and raised in our hometowns and 

villages rather than the cities, and therefore 

the first generation of us city children would 

still visit the village frequently, and truly 

looked forward to our monthly trips out to 

experience the change of pace. To me as a 

precocious child, modernity embodied being 

able to straddle modernity and traditionalism 

with ease and without conflict. 

Nothing symbolized modernity and Accra 

living more than the Ambassador Hotel 

(now Movenpick Ambassador Hotel—to 

which it bears no resemblance at all), with 

its extraordinary swimming pool and grand 

international style architecture. As a nine year 

old, what mattered most were the delicious 

scones and Cornish pies! It was these great 

pastries, be it the local or western inspired 

ones, which made my Accra tick. My thick 

waistline emerged all those years ago, and I 

blame it entirely on the Ambassador Hotel! 

Early 1970’s Accra was a child’s dream. 

Afternoon Boys Scouts meetings at the Ridge 

Church School, where I attended primary 

school and where my dear mother also 

happened to be headmistress, to the Children’s 

Theater at the Arts Center, to the music lessons 

at the National Symphony where my piano 

teacher Mr. Vanderpuye worked: this was my 

way of life. We would sometimes ride our 

‘banana seat bikes’ around the Ridge School 

with dear friends, Amand Ayensu, Joseph and 

Michael Kinsley Nyinah, Robert Millls, Adjei 

Adjetey, with Afua Sutherland Park and 

George Padmore Library as our stomping 

grounds. Even then I knew that open space 

and good architecture mattered- as embodied 

by the spaces described and the Ambassador 

Hotel. Life was not so bad at all. 

Swimming at the Ambassador was the special 

treat any child would crave for. The pool as I 

remember it had bright blue tiles, which gave 

the water the look of the ocean and made it 

appear so large that it commanded my respect. 

We jumped from the diving boards with gusto 

but were mindful not to be a nuisance to the 

regular swimmers. One such ‘hip’ gentleman 

that seemed to live in the pool (hahahah) was 

‘the famous South African’ Hugh Masekela. 

Yes, that was how the pool attendant described 

him to us at the time. Hugh was a gentle kind 

man, and often obliged our Cornish pasty 

habits. We knew that this man was in exile in 

Ghana and was a very famous musician. We 

revered him, even at that age. 

These are very sketchy 

memories, but I remember 

his easy and commanding 

smile and certainly his 

generosity and that he lived 

in the scion of modernism, 

the Ambassador Hotel. 

I wonder what he thinks of the new Movenpick 

Ambassador, whose amenities I still enjoy 

with my family today. My sons Kwaku and 

Juhani often run around the hotel, as if they 

owned it, much as we did over 40 years ago. 

Certain things never change! It’s a shame that 

they will never experience the connection to 

heritage that such buildings conjured for us 

residents of post-colonial Accra. 

6 7

As ArchiAfrika and AiD embark on 

engaging in the discourse of preservation and 

conservation, these old memories come to 

mind, and remind us all of the need to engage 

and preserve something of the old Ghana and 

Africa that we used to know. AiD has selected 

the Children’s Library, a design of Max Fry 

and Jane Drew, as a case study of how buildings 

can be improved through restoration rather 

than decimated by directionless renovation. 

Now back to Hugh Masakela, who is our 

featured personality for this edition of our 

Magazine. To me he embodies the aspirations 

of a new Africa- proud of its heritage, while 

embracing modernity: a redefinition of what 

Africa stands for in this global world. He is 

the embodiment of the true ‘adventurer in the 

diaspora.’ Hugh and his extraordinary wife 

Elinam and their children are dear friends of 

ours and we are honored that they agreed to 

be part of this issue. 

With our upcoming theme for 2013 being ‘All 

Roads Lead to Lagos’ one cannot ignore the 

symbolism of Hugh Masakela being featured 

in this issue, as he was very good friends with 

another great African activist, Fela Kuti from 

Nigeria. Their music is the voice of Africa 

and a constant reminder to all us of why our 

culture matters. 

Hugh Masakela is the kind of advocate for 

the cultural and creative renaissance of Africa 

that ArchiAfrika wants to be associated 

with, and to learn from.Hugh, thank you 

for being ‘a shining light’ and a great role 

model for creative people engaging in Africa’s 

development agenda. AYEKOO! 

Regards, 

Joe Osae Addo 

Chairman, ArchiAfrika Foundation 

Above: Sketch by Joe Osae-Addo 

8 9

AFRICA 

floats to 

MILAN 

By Nat Nuno-Amerteifio 

10 11

Above: Kunlé Adeyemi and Nat Nuno-Amertefio in conversation at The Milan Design Week, 2013. 

Previous Page: Inset: Makoko Floating School. 

Image Courtesy of NLÉ, Shaping the Architecture of Developing Cities 

The Milan Design Week hosted designers, 

inventors and thinkers from around the world 

and enabled them to explore their work and 

ideas to their contemporaries. It took place 

in April when the city draws in breadth after 

the winter and watches the trees break into 

the first hopeful buds of spring. Events and 

exhibitions were displayed in venues across 

the metropolis. This gave participants the 

opportunity to explore Milan’s incomparable 

architectural heritage as well as enjoy its 

remarkable transportation infrastructure. This 

includes gaily painted trams that look vaguely 

familiar until you notice their similarity to 

the trams of San Francisco. Indeed the trams 

of Milan furnished the prototype for those 

in San Francisco. Another engaging urban 

feature of the city is the presence of hundreds 

of motorcycles and bicycles parked at different 

spots and available to residents for a nominal 

fee. 

The Afrofuture exposition convened 

exports from the continent to consider the 

impact on African cities of some of the key 

questions from various disciplines including 

architecture, politics and technology. Using 

images from different cities we illustrated 

how these questions and issues are shaped in 

our discourse and the solutions that emerge. 

Presentations were from Lagos, Accra, 

Luanda, Nairobi and Dakar. 

One topic that provoked animated discussion 

was new designs coming from the continent. 

This followed the presentation by Kunlé 

Adeyemi, a young Nigerian architect 

practicing in Amsterdam and Lagos. He 

gave an illustrated talk on a school project 

he created for an aquatic village called 

Makoko in Lagos. Adeyemi belongs to a 

new and stimulating generation of African 

architects whose works are shaping the 

unfolding narrative of contemporary African 

architecture. Other practitioners are Joe Osae- 

Addo of Ghana and Francis Kéré of Burkina 

Faso. These artists, who have arrived at the 

apex of their profession, come equipped with 

profound understanding of post-modernist 

design concepts. They were also educated 

in an era when environmental sustainability 

was a serious issue. The combination of these 

factors and others such as unfair economic 

arrangement of international trade has 

given them the confidence to examine the 

fundaments of design theories in our time. They 

have drawn valuable lessons from traditional 

African architecture including the social 

organization of construction. The application 

of these insights gives their projects a fresh 

neo-Bantu stamp that is remarkably free of 

atavistic posturing. Adeyemi’s presentation 

was a welcome introduction of promising new 

design from the continent. 

Below: Platform prototype. Image Courtesy of NLÉ, Shaping the Architecture of Developing Cities 

12 13

These artists, who have 

arrived at the apex of their 

profession, come equipped 

with profound understanding 

of post-modernist design 

concepts. They were also 

educated in an era when 

environmental sustainability 

was a serious issue. The 

combination of these factors 

and others such as unfair 

economic arrangement of 

international trade has 

given them the confidence to 

examine the fundaments of 

design theories in our time. 

They have drawn valuable 

lessons from traditional 

African architecture including 

the social organization of 

construction. The application 

of these insights gives their 

projects a fresh neo-Bantu 

stamp that is remarkably free 

of atavistic posturing. 

Inset: Makoko Floating School 

Image Courtesy of NLÉ, Shaping the Architecture of 

Developing Cities 

14 15

Another submission that was full of assurance 

was by Cyrus Kabiru, a designer from 

Nairobi. He is a brilliant artist who currently 

specializes in creating “concept” eyeglasses. 

His pieces are fabricated from discarded 

machine parts. They are cheeky for their 

originality and breathtaking for the audacity 

of his imagination. He is master at combining 

familiar items in unfamiliar ways. Imagine 

a pair of tooth brushes arranged to serve as 

frames for eyeglasses or a pair of handcuffs 

similarly reconstructed. His works are quixotic 

and even though they are not intended for the 

mass market, they demonstrate an astonishing 

creativity that promises a lot to African fashion 

and design. 

It was an exhilarating 

week in Milan. It is obvious 

beyond argument that 

ideas already exist that will 

massage African design 

into the 21st century. What 

is yet to be developed is the 

academic vehicle to expose 

them to our design colleges 

and technical schools. One 

can only hope that this 

magazine will land on a 

friendly table. 

The Milan Design Week was produced by the 

City of Milan. The Afrofuture portion was 

curated by Nana Ocran and Big Ben. 

Left: Cyrus Kabiru’s Artwork 

Image from http://www.ckabiruart.daportfolio.com/ 

16 17

ioGRAPHY 

Hugh Masakela is a world-renowned 

flugelhornist, trumpeter, bandleader, 

composer, singer and defiant political voice 

who remains deeply connected at home, while 

his international career sparkles. He was born 

in the town of Witbank, South Africa in 1939. 

At the age of 14, the deeply respected advocate 

of equal rights in South Africa, Father Trevor 

Huddleston, provided Masakela with a 

trumpet and, soon after, the Huddleston Jazz 

Band was formed. Masakela began to hone 

his, now signature, Afro-Jazz sound in the 

late 1950s during a period of intense creative 

collaboration, most notably performing in the 

1959 musical King Kong, written by Todd 

Matshikiza, and, soon thereafter, as a member 

of the now legendary South African group, 

the Jazz Epistles (featuring the classic line up 

of Kippie Moeketsi, Abdullah Ibrahim and 

Jonas Gwangwa). 

In 1960, at the age of 21 he left South Africa 

to begin what would be 30 years in exile from 

the land of his birth. On arrival in New York he 

enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music. 

This coincided with a golden era of jazz music 

hugh 

and the young Masakela immersed himself 

in the New York jazz scene where nightly 

he watched greats like Miles Davis, John 

Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus 

and Max Roach. Under the tutelage of Dizzy 

MASAKELA 

Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, Hugh was 

encouraged to develop his own unique style, 

feeding off African rather than American 

influences – his debut album, released in 

1963, was entitled Trumpet Africaine. 

18 19

In the late 1960s Hugh moved to Los Angeles 

in the heat of the ‘Summer of Love’, where 

he was befriended by hippie icons like David 

Crosby, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. In 

1967 Hugh performed at the Monterey Pop 

Festival alongside Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, 

Ravi Shankar, The Who and Jimi Hendrix. In 

1968, his instrumental single ‘Grazin’ in the 

Grass’ went to Number One on the American 

pop charts and was a worldwide smash, 

elevating Hugh onto the international stage. 

His subsequent solo career has spanned 5 

decades, during which time he has released 

over 40 albums (and been featured on 

countless more) and has worked with such 

diverse artists as Harry Belafonte, Dizzy 

Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, 

Herb Alpert, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and 

the late Miriam Makeba. 

In 1990 Hugh returned home, following the 

unbanning of the ANC and the release of 

Nelson Mandela – an event anticipated in 

Hugh’s anti-apartheid anthem ‘Bring Home 

Nelson Mandela’ (1986) which had been a 

rallying cry around the world. 

In 2004 Masakela published his compelling 

autobiography, Still Grazing: The Musical 

Journey of Hugh Masakela (co-authored 

with D. Michael Cheers), which Vanity Fair 

described thus: ‘…you’ll be in awe of the many 

lives packed into one.’ 

In June 2010 he opened the FIFA Soccer 

World Cup Kick-Off Concert to a global 

audience and performed at the event’s 

Opening Ceremony in Soweto’s Soccer City. 

In 2010, President Zuma honoured him with 

the highest order in South Africa: The Order of 

Ikhamanga, and 2011 saw Masakela receive a 

Lifetime Achievement award at the WOMEX 

World Music Expo in Copenhagen. The US 

Virgin Islands proclaimed ‘Hugh Masakela 

Day’ in March 2011, not long after Hugh 

joined U2 on stage during the Johannesburg 

leg of their 360 World Tour. U2 frontman 

Bono described meeting and playing with 

Hugh as one of the highlights of his career. 

Hugh is currently using his global reach to 

spread the word about heritage restoration in 

Africa – a topic that remains very close to his 

heart. 

“My biggest obsession is to show Africans 

and the world who the people of Africa 

really are,” Masakela confides – and it’s this 

commitment to his home continent that has 

propelled him forward since he first began 

playing the trumpet. 

Sources/copyright: GRIOT GmbH, Wulf v. 

Gaudecker and Hugh Masakela 

“The Official Site” 

South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela and Nigerian singer Femi Kuti perform during the opening ceremony of the 2010 

FIFA World Cup in JOhannesburg. Photo: AFP 

20 21

An Interview with 

HUGH MASAKELA 

poet, philosopher, cultural activist 

How many African cities have you visited? 

And what are their common features 

(in terms of culture, people, design and 

architecture)? 

I have visited over 30 cities in Africa. 

The majority are overcrowded. In most of 

them, the impoverished live with very poor 

service delivery in sordid squalor and under 

extremely unhealthy conditions. Wealthy 

countries in Africa have luxurious upper 

class neighborhoods, modern malls and 

urban development that match Western 

metropolises. The most disturbing factor is 

that none of the cities boast African-style 

designs. Kigali in Rwanda and Windhoek in 

Namibia are outstanding for their cleanliness. 

Some cities have vibrant cultural groups, clubs 

and concert venues. Many countries suppress 

the development of cultural excellence, 

merely dismissing it as frivolous as it is likely 

to upstage the coveted political limelight. 

How do you manage to stay current and 

topical with the rapid economic changes 

engulfing the continent? 

Self-education, intense practice, vigorous 

physical exercise, playing with outstanding 

young musicians and constantly touring the 

world. 

What are your views on wealth creation 

and the creation of a vibrant educated 

population who can contribute to 

sustainable development and growth of 

the continent. Is it really happening? 

Most political establishments in Africa 

systematically keep the underclass ignorant 

and devoid of crucial information that could 

help to improve the quality of life. It seems 

that wealth creation is limited to the business 

and political establishments. Same old, same 

old! 

I am pessimistic about the development that 

is only addressed in summits, conferences 

and talk shops but never trickles down to the 

masses, who only seem to be noticed when 

they are needed for election votes. 

22 23

Discuss the rapid growth and 

modernization and your thoughts on the 

contemporary African city. Could your 

experiences in developing hybrid music 

genres be an inspiration to how our built 

environments could evolve into something 

truly African? 

Rapid growth in almost all the cities that 

experience it, projects imitations of western 

metropolises. There is very little if any African 

character in them. Perhaps if business and 

government could aggressively promote 

heritage restoration in the arts; this could be 

an element that would inspire African town 

planners, designers and architects to project 

indigenous styles into our developmental 

initiatives. 

How has music influenced contemporary 

African creative endeavors including 

design? What is the link between music 

and design? 

It appears to me that most 

African contemporary music 

strives very intensely to imitate 

USA and European styles. At 

this rate, it is obviously pointing 

design and town planning in a 

very Western direction. 

Unless there is some sort of semblance of 

heritage restored into our lives, all the things 

we create will suffer from the neo-colonial 

frenzy we so extremely try to emulate. There 

is no link that I can identify at this writing, 

between music and design. African visual 

art is the only element that mostly retains an 

indigenous quality on our continent, undersupported 

as it is. 

24 25

What are your views on contemporary 

music , culture and how does Africa fare? 

Do you see the need for better collaboration 

among creatives to promote Africa 

globally? 

For African culture to have a visible face, 

African society is going to have to collaborate 

in forming a Heritage Restoration Society 

similar to the World Wildlife Fund; an 

institute that will aggressively promote and 

protect the massive and diverse content of 

ancient indigenous qualities whose erosion 

we witness by the hour. 

How should Africans respond to often 

neglected or suppressed heritage and 

culture? Is there real interest from Africans 

(besides UNESCO and foreign funders) 

in preserving some of the unique heritage 

of our communities (ie. Sophiatown was 

recently renamed back to its original name, 

how do we preserve and protect places of 

heritage? And does this necessarily mean 

becoming political? 

I have included a heritage proposal which I 

emailed separately in an attempt at illustrating 

an example of heritage restoration. It cannot 

be preached. It has to be presented through 

edutainement. Foreign funders will only come 

to the party once the African diaspora begins 

to lead. The UN and funders would not know 

where to begin. 

Discuss current politics on the continent 

in the context of north Africa, democratic 

reforms and revolutions. What does this 

mean for the rest of Africa ? 

Until African political leadership ceases from 

viewing inaugurations as royal coronations, 

we are hurtling down a dangerous path of 

power grabs, dictatorships, revolutionaries 

who turn into brutal autocrats and academics 

who discuss African progress on television 

specials, in books and election campaigns. We, 

the ordinary people, are hopelessly praying 

for “The real thing to come along,” that great 

“African dream” we have been hearing about 

for the past six decades. When are we gonna 

wake up and smell the fufu??? 

For African culture 

to have a visible face, 

African society is going 

to have to collaborate 

in forming a Heritage 

Restoration Society similar 

to the World Wildlife 

Fund; an institute that 

will aggressively promote 

and protect the massive 

and diverse content 

of ancient indigenous 

qualities whose erosion 

we witness by the hour. 

26 27

Hugh Masakela & ArchiAfrica present: 

competition 

THE ROAD TO 

HERITAGE 

The first Road to Heritage Competition, organized by Hugh Masakela in collaboration with ArchiAfrika, 

is a ground-breaking design competition in which we seek African designers, students, amateurs and 

professionals to present creative and inno-native proposals on how Africans can preserve and promote 

our heritage. We seek participants to showcase their ideas in our magazine as well as website, compete 

for prize money and bring ideas to the attention of a prestigious jury. 

WHY HERITAGE MATTERS 

Text by Hugh Masakela 

More than 80 % of Africa’s peoples come 

from indigenous traditional origins. Our 

cultural roots are cultivated in customs, oral 

history, praise-poetry, art, design, architecture, 

artisanship, agriculture, mysticism, song, 

dance, couture, cuisine, pageantry, ceremony, 

rituals and moral values. Respect, humility 

and generosity have always been the crucial 

cornerstones of African life. 

Africa’s abundance of unfathomable wealth in 

raw materials attracted interest among many 

foreign communities. Explorers, militias and 

traders began to invade North, West and 

Central Africa in the 14th century in search 

of treasures. Next came religious groups of 

missionaries and prophets with determined 

resolve to convert the “natives from barbarism” 

and away from their customs. Subsequently 

armies and ships laden with superior weaponry 

overran most of Africa, confiscating land, food 

supplies, and livestock, pillaging and intent on 

lording over the indigenous peoples. 

Centuries of conquest lead to a merciless slave 

trade which saw millions loaded into sailing 

vessels that carried Africans to the western 

world, a time during which families were 

forcibly separated, native languages outlawed 

and traditions systematically destroyed. 

On the continent, the remaining millions were 

colonized. Africa was eventually carved up into 

scores of European-created “new” countries. 

The native populations were transformed 

into legions of cheap-labour armies. Many 

converted into Islam and Christianity. Forced 

migration to new industrial centres and 

farmlands along with minimal education led 

to the gradual erosion of traditional heritage. 

28 29

Indigenous customs began to disappear: 

African civilization saw the evaporation of 

our folklore and indigenous origins, which 

were gradually abandoned. 

By the 21st Century, most Africans (even 

though their customs and beliefs were not 

totally erased) began to be convinced that their 

own heritage was heathen, pagan, backward, 

savage, barbaric and primitive due to the 

messages created by religion, advertising, 

television, misunderstood foreign education 

and urbanization. 

Today many urban households in Africa 

have abandoned communicating in their 

mother-tongue. Some even forbid the use of 

any language that are not European. Unless 

the restoration of heritage into the lives of 

Africans is not promoted, future generations 

will not define ourselves in our own terms and 

words, perhaps claiming that “we used to be 

Africans very, very long ago.” This would be a 

major tragedy. 

This competition is a small means by which 

we can re-introduce elements of heritage 

restoration into our communities. We do not 

seek to preach to the masses, but wish this 

competition to use mostly entertainment and 

educational methods. 

The time has come for us to harness our heritage 

and spread it far and wide using modern 

technology and all Western civilization has to 

offer. 

The ideas shared in the competition will 

be a most exciting legacy for present and 

future generations—not to mention the 

foreigners who come to Africa to admire our 

geographical sites and wildlife because they 

cannot find our people as they are preoccupied 

with imitating other cultures. The ancestors of 

Africa await this initiative with excited hope 

and overwhelming enthusiasm. So does the 

rest of humanity. What is now left is to make 

it happen! 

The competition brief and rules will be published in the 

July 2013 issue of the ArchiAfrika Magazine, along with 

the members of a prestigious jury and the prize money. The 

competition is open to African designers, students, amateurs 

and professionals who have ideas on how we can actively 

preserve and promote our heritage. The winner of the 

competition will be announced at the African Perspectives 

Conference in Lagos in December 2013. Winning designs 

will be showcased at the conference, as well as on the 

ArchiAfrika website and ArchiAfrika Magazine. 

For more information, please contact Dahlia Roberts at 

dahlia@aaaccra.org. 

30 31

By RIBA Norman Foster 

Travelling Scholar, 

Thomas Aquilina 

Green 

& 

Yellow 

DIVIDES 

ADDIS ABABA 

32 33

A travelling research project on informal recycling practices in six African cities (Cairo, Addis Ababa, 

Kampala, Kigali, Lusaka, and Johannesburg). 

Adane Y., taxi driver, inspected his disposable 

photographs meticulously, 6x4 copies slightly 

spoiled by a coarse grain and overexposure. 

Almost all of them showed the same subject: 

a construction site fence painted repetitively 

in green and yellow vertical stripes. But with 

each image Adane described something 

else he saw or intended to capture. When I 

pressed him on the reappearing fence, he told 

me plainly “it is just in the construction.” 

One of my field methods is the distribution 

of disposable cameras to residents. These 

photographs intend to document a kind of 

lived experience and construct a narrative of 

each city. With Adane, I asked him to shoot a 

typical drive through Addis Ababa. Some of 

his photographs were framed by the edge of 

his taxi window or dashboard (an old Russian 

Lada taxi immaculately kept). His journey 

was located between old town, Piazza, and 

desirable new location, Bole. In both examples 

the fence was there, and provided a clue for my 

project. The ongoing investigation – Material 

Economies – as part of the RIBA Norman 

Foster Travelling Scholarship consists of a 

movement (or a line) in each city that follows 

the life of a particular material, usually 

recycled. This allows me to understand its 

arrangement and sequence as it is positioned, 

changed or renewed. I trace the intersections 

and movements of informal economies, which 

take different turns and direct me to different 

locations. I encounter a complex interplay of 

urban relationships, actors and tactics, mostly 

informal and diffuse, and many are invisible. 

By following Adane’s implied material, I learnt 

that this fence made from corrugated iron 

sheeting and always painted with this uniform 

colour palette and pattern is a government 

regulation in Addis Ababa for every new 

building site. A contractor suggested this 

directive was a way of “beautifying” the city 

before an African Union summit two years 

ago. The fence has since become ubiquitous 

and shows a city under construction. My 

interest, however, is not the aesthetics but 

how this canvas is transforming everyday life. 

The fencing often encloses large vacant sites 

that were once informal settlements. It first 

masked a demolished popular neighbourhood, 

Filwuha, adjacent to the Sheraton Hotel, 

lined with mature palm trees. Residents were 

relocated to city-edge condominium plots. 

Only a local mafia and handful of surviving 

settlers remain. My guide and old Filwuha 

neighbour, Biruk G., said it is “just a matter 

of time before all old villages are removed 

from Addis.” His village will soon be cleared, 

and his current stationery business will have 

to end. His clients and networks won’t travel 

with him and he’s already thinking up a new 

occupation as a condominium broker. 

Inhabitants in these 

environments are readily 

repositioned, whether they 

are compelled to relocate 

livelihoods, or engage in a 

form of street occupation. 

34 35

In front of the Filwuha fence peddlers 

would accumulate and displayed a series of 

activities. When a nearby church celebrated a 

religious festival priests gave offerings to the 

churchgoers at the fence as an overflow service. 

Candles, missals, umbrellas, and small plants 

were available to buy. Women sold “shameta,” 

a local barley juice out of recycled tin cans. 

By late afternoon, small stalls populated with 

chat-chewers. Chat, fresh evergreen leaves, 

a mild narcotic stimulant and lucrative cash 

crop. Redressed and punctured with vendor’s 

operations the fence becomes the setting for 

the stuff of a city to take place. 

People use this ambiguous space between 

official and unofficial, private and public to 

find work. These often-tenuous occupations 

result in learned manoeuvres and a constantly 

negotiated space, which are sometimes within 

original spatial practices. Mobile economies 

proliferate; whether it is cellular money 

transfers or emerging vendors. Residents are 

willing to convert themselves into all kinds 

of agents, which reinforces their capacity to 

engage with the city, enabling them to grab the 

next opportunity, even if they can participate 

minimally. 

Previous Page (Above): Adane Y.’s disposable photograph 

of Bole Road, Addis Ababa 

Previous Page (Below): View out from Adane Y.’s taxi 

Left: Resident 

Below Left: Churchgoers at street corner 

Photographs by Thomas Aquilina © 2013 

I found myself discovering the kinds of 

journeys, daily exchanges and transactions 

made by residents within their city. I 

followed the relocation of urban majorities 

to peripheral condominiums. Across the city, 

condominium plot, Gemo, 15-kilometers 

from the city centre is where Biruk’s old 

neighbour, Atale A., arrived via a ballot 

system. Her neighbours drew other plots. The 

site is a cluster of insipid and identical fivestorey 

buildings with external staircases and 

patchy grass open spaces. The phone signal 

was unreliable. Atale’s apartment is known 

as a “credit home,” and makes a monthly 

payment to the government. 

The capacity to survive in the old village, 

Atale explained, was based on a saturated life. 

Where people contributed and divided the 

spoils, quick to fill in, substitute and make up 

for established relations. Life was grounded; it 

took place on the street, where conversations 

and networks were shared. In Gemo, this 

kind of existence appears no longer workable. 

Urban Africans need to invent new solutions. 

These narratives focus on the resiliencies of 

urban residency in Africa, and with it, the 

possibilities. Since travelling it has become 

clear the African city is going somewhere, but 

it is also always on the point of turning into 

something else. 

Follow on Twitter @thomasaquilina 

36 37

in 

of the 

SEARCH 

ORIGIN 

Jurriaan van Stigt 

38 39

Since 1980 I have been in love with Mali, 

Sudanese architecture, the music of Boubacar, 

Toumani and Ali Farka Toure, but in particular 

the architecture, culture and anthropology of 

the Dogon. It humbles me to write about 

what we, at the Foundation Dogon Education 

and architect professor Joop van Stigt, have 

been able to build in the last 20 years in Mali. 

Our inspiration was shaped in the fifties and 

sixties when architect Herman Haan, Aldo 

van Eyck and others visited the Dogon and 

published their experiences in the famous 

Dutch magazine FORUM. The publications 

in this magazine had a big impact on the 

Dutch architectural style at that time. 

At this time, Joop van Stigt worked on the 

building site of the Orphanage designed by 

Aldo van Eyck in Amsterdam. Van Eyck sent 

him a postcard with a picture of Djenne- and 

on the back was this text and a fast drawing of 

his design of the building with small cupolas. 

(Picture of front and backside of the postcard, 

and translation of the text… will be the first 

time ever this is published) Back in the 

Netherlands, the building was constructed as 

it stands now with a characteristic honeycomb 

dome-vaulted structure, which is still famous 

and considered part of Dutch heritage. The 

orphanage symbolizes a big opportunity 

in thinking about scale. It was the start of 

thinking in structure: the city as house, a house 

as a city, inside and outside, the big scale and 

the small scale. In the Orphanage, there is a 

realization of a duality in every task: there is 

a visible cellular structure, but also freedom. 

Previous Page: Dogon, Bandiagarra Cliffs 

Left: FORUM magazine 

It is this theme that van Eyck found so 

intriguing in the Dogon so many years ago. 

The experience described was van Stigt’s first 

encounter with Mali and became a motivation 

to go there himself. He made his first trip to 

Mali in 1972, and has kept going ever since. 

After his retirement as professor in Delft 

specialized in building constructions, heritage 

and renovation, he presented his book Dogon 

Architecture, Art and Anthropology and 

started the Foundation Dogon Education. 

The first aim was not to make “architecture,” 

but to create wells, water supplies and school 

buildings. Throughout the years, the experiences 

grew into much more than simply building; 

he learned to work with the Dogon people, 

exchange knowledge and experiment with 

new techniques. By analyzing the extremely 

ingenious adobe construction methods of the 

Dogon, it was possible to further develop his 

imported methods in order to be able to build 

in a sustainable way with locally available 

materials. The mantra of building in Dogon 

became “pas simple, pas bon” (not simple not 

good) and stayed as a theme of van Stigt in 

his work in the Netherlands where he became 

known for looking for the most economical 

solution combined with a clear, simple and 

true beauty of the building. It can be argued 

that he learned this skill from the Dogon and 

Sudanese mud architecture. 

40 41

“Everything from mud and some wood! 

Wonderful World! We are a bit white - 

healthy feeling however. Nowhere have 

I laughed so much and making jokes. 

Every morning a whole pineapple! 

Delicious Mangoes. Niger fish and 

chicken. Hot – beautiful birds, women 

and towns (will show slides and film). 

Tomorrow begins the big hike along the 

Dogon gap with intact primeval culture. 

Donkeys carry the stuff – It is fine with 

my now-no-care-child. 

“ 

I’m 27 on the construction site, brown, 

--- and ready for new steps. 

Don’t forget a Santa Claus gift hi hi hi 

AvEyck 

42 43

In 2008 the Fondation started to build with 

hydraulic compressed earth blocks, a next step 

in the continuation of the traditional adobe 

building methods in the Dogon, (see the book 

‘beyond construction’). The decision to do so 

responded to a need for the architecture to fit 

into the landscape and connect to the culture. 

Our first buildings using this method were in 

Sevaré, and included housing, extension of the 

technical school and a small hotel. Everything, 

including bearing walls and facades of 

half brick (14 centimeter) were built with 

earth blocks, even carrying concrete floors 

and overstrains of 7 meters. The buildings 

are located in the new town which houses 

modern Malian housing, architecture, some 

old French colonial architecture, all of which 

are strongly influenced by the Sudanese style. 

The most important objective here was to learn, 

build and show that there is a natural beauty 

in building with earth. The information centre 

of mud architecture in Mopti built by the Aga 

Khan Foundation designed by Francis Kéré 

was in this case a great support for changing 

the mind set in building methods. Now there 

are a lot of new skilled builders in the region 

of Mopti Sevaré which will hopefully give a 

boost to build, construct and design a truly 

sustainable Malian architecture by local 

architects and masons. 

With the experience of knowledge we gained 

in Sevaré, the Fondation started building 

more primary schools in the Dogon area 

with compressed earth blocks. The villages all 

require a different approach depending on their 

location along the cliffs of Bandiagarra, the 

plain or the plateau. However, every building 

the Fondation constructed throughout the 

years was realized with the strong support and 

contribution of a village who prepared sand, 

red earth and water. 

In 2012 the first school complex, three 

school classrooms, housing for teachers and 

sanitation with barrel vaults was completed. 

This complex near the village of Balaguina, 

on the plateau one hour’s drive from Sevaré, 

is almost 100% earth bricks (excluding 

the concrete foundation). The bricks were 

produced on site by transporting a brick 

machine to the location. The buildings rise 

literally out of the earth from which they are 

made. The village has contributed immensely 

to the production of the bricks on the site. 

The school is designed with two verandas, 

which can be seen as the buttress to the barrel 

vaults above the classrooms. Each classroom 

is dilated, the roof is constructed with brick 

masonry on its side. The final layer of the roof 

is finished with 4 centimetres of red earth and 

a little (5%) cement. 

Previous Page: Postcard from Aldo van Eyck 

Inset: Renovation, primary school in Sangha 1907 

Next Page: Internship project students of the Technical 

School (ETSJ), February 2012 

44 45

46 47

In 2012 the first school complex, three 

school classrooms, housing for teachers and 

sanitation with barrel vaults was completed. 

This complex near the village of Balaguina, 

on the plateau one hour’s drive from Sevaré, 

is almost 100% earth bricks (excluding 

the concrete foundation). The bricks were 

produced on site by transporting a brick 

machine to the location. The buildings rise 

literally out of the earth from which they are 

made. The village has contributed immensely 

to the production of the bricks on the site. 

The school is designed with two verandas, 

which can be seen as the buttress to the barrel 

vaults above the classrooms. Each classroom 

is dilated, the roof is constructed with brick 

masonry on its side. The final layer of the roof 

is finished with 4 centimetres of red earth and 

a little (5%) cement. 

For light and ventilation, we used locally 

produced ceramic gargoyles. It gives the school 

building it’s architectural recognition. The 

porches of the veranda’s are inspired by the 

particular way openings and facades are made 

in several Sudanese style buildings. The floors 

are also made of earth blocks but instead of the 

normal 8.5 kilo bricks (90*140*290) we made 

them 5 kilo to reduce the use of material and 

cement. In every brick, we used 3% cement 

mix to make the blocks water resistant and 

termite proof. 

The houses for the teachers and head master 

are positioned along the road and near the 

well. The basic houses are each orientated in 

a different direction to obtain privacy. This 

architecture is more inspired by the plasticity 

of the architecture of the granaries, houses 

and Ginna’s of the Dogon. 

Left: Atelier of the Technical School (ETSJ) in Sévaré 

48 49

There are two main issues that had to 

be reconciled with building modern 

buildings such as schools using 

traditional Dogon architecture. 

Firstly, in Mali and especially in 

the Dogon area, cellular buildings 

with small sized spaces are the most 

common type architecture and part 

of the traditional building method. 

Even Mosques are bigger buildings 

on the exterior, but on the interior 

are still divided into small spaces 

with small spans. The second issue 

is the position of the schools and 

housing for teachers in relation to 

the village. The school buildings are 

a clearly different size, scale and 

structure. In contrast to the Dogon 

tradition which says one’s village 

is one’s home, the Foundation built 

outside the villages. On the one 

hand this exclusion from the village 

gives freedom to architecture, but 

on the other hand it demands reestablishing 

a connection to the 

genius loci. The first school of the 

foundation was built using building 

methods already common for 

school buildings throughout Mali, 

and became very utilitarian. The 

challenge in the future is to adapt 

these issues and respond to them 

more directly. 

Inset: House Hogan Arou 

50 51

Above: Traditional method mud block 

Below: Ensemble of the primary school in Balaguina 

Above: Overview of 15 years of work by the Foundation 

Education Dogon Jurriaan van Stigt, “Beyond 

Construction,” 2012 

The book beyond construction,(plus que construire) can 

be ordered through the internet book publisher www. 

Pumbo.nl 

Below: Detail of a saho at Bia, near Niafunké Sergio 

Domain, “Architecture Soudanaise,” 1989 

There will be a fenced area around the houses 

with hangars for the kitchen. The school 

started in October 2012 after a very rainy wet 

season, which proved that the construction 

without a ‘raincoat’ is sustainable. Also 

the interior climate due to the use of the 

compressed earth blocks is very pleasing. 

The process I have described to the readers 

of ArchiAfrika Magazine continues, as there 

is still a lot to be learned in the future. We 

hope that our buildings inspire and motivate 

more and more of the upcoming builders and 

architects from Dogon. Architecture is not 

about revolution but about evolution. 


Chair Foundation Dogon Education 

Architect at LEVS architecten 

Chief editor FORUM Magazine 

Information 

www.dogononderwijs.nl 

52 53

CAIRO 

URBANISM 

tra$h becomes ca$h 

Zeina Elcheikh 

A group of 21 students from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia and 

Germany converged in Basateen district in Cairo in the informal area 

of Ezbet Al-Nasr to think about design analysis including basic urban 

services, local economic development, land and shelter, governance, 

and environment. An exhibition of their proposals in February 2013 

selected the initiative of three students: Nahla Makhlouf (Egypt), 

Sandy Qarmout ( Jordan) and Zeina Elcheikh (Syria) to implement as 

a means of addressing the garbage problems in the neighborhood. 

54 55

Garbage is almost everywhere in the area. 

The huge amount of trash was causing 

serious health problems, originating from 

the natural degradation of organic waste or 

from burning it, which is usually the only 

way to get rid of it. Some of the residents 

collected and sorted wastes through a 

recycling micro industry, including metal, 

plastic, cartoons, glass recycling. However, 

there was no way of recycling organic wastes. 

The people in Ezbet Al- 

Nasr represent a low-income 

community, and the three 

students agreed upon developing 

a concept that involves garbage 

to solve an environmental 

problem but also to provide 

additional income. They came up 

with the motto: “Trash Becomes 

Cash”. 

Contacts were made with several NGOs 

and individuals interested in recycling and 

environmental issues. Getting to know better 

about professionals’ work in these fields in 

Cairo, helped in framing the work of the 

team. The students decided to introduce 

biogas to the residents of Ezbet Al-Nasr. 

Each biogas unit costs between 180-200$, 

an amount not easily affordable by the local 

community, and therefore funding was needed 

to install the units. Generous support came 

from an association (Al-Musbah Al-Mudii) 

which offered to fund the first 5 biogas units 

at no cost and to financially support interested 

people in the area in installing their biogas units 

in the future. Two technicians also provided 

technical support, as they had installed biogas 

units in their own homes a few years ago. 

56 57

The residents of Ezbet Al-Nasr needed to 

rethink their garbage-related habits and 

practices, and to consider it as an income 

source to be used rather than a leftover 

to be thrown away. Such a task was not 

easily achieved without approaching the 

local community directly through informal 

meetings and discussions on the streets. While 

installing the first biogas in the area, the team 

arranged a session to introduce the idea to the 

local residents. This session to raise awareness 

about biogas was held under the theme “Let’s 

not throw it, let’s make use of it.” 

During the exhibition the Trash Becomes 

Cash team prepared and distributed manuals 

and other printed materials to spread the 

idea and established a network between the 

community, the funding agency and the 

technicians involved in this new microindustry. 

Although the team achieved satisfactory 

results by introducing the residents to a 

new sustainable technology, the continuity 

of the project depends on the community’s 

acceptance of the technology in the long run. 

It can be a big step to begin reconsidering 

organic waste as a resource that can help save 

the residents money, rather than just garbage. 

But this initiative may be a first step in the 

right direction. 

Informal settlements suffer from 

many challenges associated with 

the built environment. Bridging 

academic research to realworld 

practice, and technology 

with socio-economic needs of 

the community was the main 

outcome of the intervention. 

Above: Illustration of the Biodegradable process from the 

organic waste to the Biogas 

Left: Garbage in Ezbet Al-Nasr 

Below Left: Schematic cross section in the applied 

biogas unit (developped by the team based on the site 

implementation) 

Next Page: Installing the 1st Biogas Unit 

Photos courtesy of Zeina Elcheikh 

58 59

The project showed that 

big hopes in the informal 

area can be fulfilled 

through seemingly small 

initiatives 

60 61

the real 

ECONOMY 

Informal Housing, Work and The Future 

A look at Accra and Lagos 

By Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy 

Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy manages a globetrotting work and lifestyle portfolio as (1) an International 

Economist and Management Consultant ; (2) a Critic , Writer and Historian of the Arts, Culture and 

Creative Industries and (3) a Classical Guitarist 

You may follow him on Twitter at : https://twitter.com/gnaddy 

62 63

Just about everybody living in African cities 

like Accra and Lagos is connected in some 

way with the informal economy. Nearly 

everybody has bought something from a street 

seller. One only has to walk or drive around 

Accra or Lagos for a short time to discover 

that the vast majority of people work in the 

informal (unregistered) economy. More and 

more people are moving from the rural areas 

into the towns and cities, attracted by the 

prospect of work selling various goods and 

services beauty salons, tailoring, street selling. 

In West Africa the increasing adoption of 

the ECOWAS trade liberalization protocols 

involving the movement of goods and people 

means that more and more of this rural-urban 

migration will in fact be of a cross border 

nature. 

One of the biggest political and economic 

tasks facing Ghana is how to recalibrate its 

relationship with Nigeria over the coming 

years. 

This is essentially the 

relationship between Accra 

and Lagos anyway since 

both cities account for over 

60% of their national 

economies. This year 2013 

is in fact a pivotal year in 

economic terms for the city of 

Lagos, Nigeria as a country 

and West Africa. 

Here are just three of the many interesting 

and even surprising economic facts about 

Lagos and Nigeria: 

1. Lagos is projected to overtake Cairo as the 

biggest city in Africa. 

2. The economy of Lagos is now bigger than 

that of all of Kenya. 

3. The economy of Nigeria, for all its chaos and 

dysfunctionality, at current rate of growth, is 

projected to overtake that of South Africa as 

the biggest in Africa by 2015. 

4. The Greater Ibadan-Lagos-Accra (GILA) 

Corridor: This 600-kilometer (373-mile) 

transport and economic corridor growing 

agglomeration of cities runs through four 

countries—Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and 

Ghana—and comprises the economic engine 

of West Africa. 

For most of modern history, Africa’s economic 

landscape has been dominated by the North 

(North Africa) and the south (mainly south 

Africa) and the tropical middle was the 

poorest part. In recent years, however, the 

centre of gravity has been shifting - or in fact 

has shifted already - to its tropical middle. 

What has been taking place quietly has been 

dubbed by some as the economic rise of 

Tropical Africa. 

Above: A child sells fried dough to other children. Badia residents were bewildered that their government had apparently 

declared open season on them. “They are doing this without regard for the people who live here,” Felix Morka said of the 

government-led demolitions. Image Credit: Samuel James for The New York Times. 

Previous Page: Lagos Sprawl. Image Credit: Keji Ziza - http://www.flickr.com/photos/76902663@N00/1463999464/ 

Economic growth in much of Africa has 

defied both expectations and the scourge 

of “Afro-pessimism” that was rampant for 

so long among both some Africans and the 

continent’s detractors. But Africa’s economic 

recent growth, impressive as it may be, has 

not been accompanied by any significant job 

creation and increasing population growth. 

Furthermore, urbanization has not been 

accompanied by industrialization that would 

transform our economies. It has largely been 

a phenomenon of “jobless growth.” The 

rate or urbanization – the influx of people 

from rural areas into towns and cities, has 

been unprecedented in human history. 

Several countries like Ghana have seen their 

populations go from being predominantly 

rural to predominantly urban, in just a single 

generation. The massive urbanization has seen 

the explosive growth of informal settlements 

with all kinds of catchy names – slums, ghettos, 

shanty-towns. The lack of formal sector jobs 

has led to the relentless growth of the informal 

economy and informal jobs. The reality is that 

today, most African countries have largely 

informal economies with the informal sector 

accounting for over 70-80% of the economy. 

Much of the economic growth taking place 

in Africa is actually in the informal rather 

than formal sectors and this trend is likely to 

continue over the foreseeable future. There 

is also likely to be an unstoppable growth 

in poor informal urban settlements whether 

the political establishment and the relatively 

affluent minority like it or not. 

64 65

Inset: Market. Image Credit: Sean Blaschke 

66 67

Above: London Victorian slum - Kensington. Image Credit: Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy 

The well publicized “slum clearance” and “city 

decongestion” initiatives have not yielded any 

measurable or long lasting success. The New 

York Times in March 2013 had an interesting 

feature article about the bulldozing of a 

long-established informal settlement by the 

authorities in Lagos and wondered whether 

the city’s poor were being made to pay a heavy 

price for the city’s “progress”. The article is 

accessible at: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/world/ 

africa/homeless-pay-the-price-of-progress-inlagos-nigeria.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 

There is a need for debate on what to do about 

slums or, to use the more polite term, informal 

settlements. In Africa given the current rates 

of urbanisation and population growth which 

are unprecedented in human history, slums 

are a necessary process of urbanisation. It is 

estimated by economists that more than half 

the world’s people now live in “slum” areas of 

cities and work in the informal economy. 

There is a need for debate 

on what to do about slums 

or , to use the more polite 

term, informal settlements, 

in Africa given the current 

rates of urbanisation and 

population growth which 

are unprecedented in 

human history anywhere in 

this world. Slums always 

accompany the process 

of urbanisation. It is 

generally estimated by many 

economists that more than 

half the world’s people now 

live in “slum” areas of cities 

and work in the informal 

economy. 

68 69

Above: London Victorian slum children. Image Credit: Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy Image Credit: Sean Blaschke 

Much of nineteenth century London was 

made up of slums, as anyone who ever read 

Charles Dickens would imagine or know. 

It was the same with New York and other 

American cities. Many Indian cities like 

Mumbai and Calcutta are mostly slums, 

depending on how one defines a slum and the 

numbers and living conditions of the people 

living there. 

In London for instance the great 19th century 

slum clearances like what we are seeing in 

Lagos, never really solved the problem. The 

slums and slum dwellers just shifted to other 

geographical areas like St Giles, and newer 

slum areas like Bermondsey, Brixton and 

others. In fact the poorer parts of London 

today very much have their roots and origins 

in the Dickensian slums of the Victorian era. 

The political and intellectual lexicon may have 

changed with the times, as has the economy 

and the provision of social housing, but the 

underlying socio-economic dynamics are still 

there. There is still a constant debate about 

issues like urban regelation, poverty and social 

deprivation in places like the East End of 

London, Tower Hamlets, Brixton, Peckham 

and others. Immigration from non-European 

parts of the world since the end of the second 

World War have added issues of race and 

ethnicity into the equation, but basically the 

issues are about human beings trying to make 

a living in an urban environment with a highly 

unequal access to economic and political 

power. 

In Africa these issues are compounded by 

the fact that, almost uniquely in economic 

history, we have been witnessing urbanisation 

on an unprecedented scale without much 

industrialisation. This is the main reason for 

the economic dominance of the informal 

sector in most of urban modern Africa. A 

largely informal economy necessarily goes 

hand in hand with a largely informal housing 

infrastructure. 

What is happening in Lagos is happening all 

over Africa including South Africa and our 

own Ghana. Ever heard of Accra’s Sodom 

and Gomorrah and the City Mayor’s almost 

weekly attempts to get street traders out of 

the city centre? The trouble though is that 

slums and slum dwellers never go away. The 

politicians and town planners- or village idiots 

as some cynically call them- often seem to get 

it wrong. They thought they would escape 

Lagos by building Abuja in the 1970s and 

now Abuja itself is becoming or has become a 

majority slum city! 

Most of Accra and Kumasi, our two main urban 

centres, are mostly slums. Even the pockets 

of affluence we have are under relentless 

pressure from the surrounding slums. If not in 

terms of people then certainly in terms of the 

now almost permanent water and electricity 

crises which are a direct result of the explosive 

growth in the city’s population from around 

200,000 at independence to over 4 million 

today - in just over 50 years. 

70 71

Image Credit: Sean Blaschke 

Some projections have it that in around 20 

year’s time, nearly 50% of Ghana’s entire 

population could be living in the Greater 

Accra Region alone. There is clearly a need for 

fresh thinking regarding housing and urban 

development. 

On current trends, the politicians, urban 

planners, mayors and policemen are simply 

fighting a losing battle. The growth and 

deepening of democracy in Africa means that 

increasingly the informal settlements- call 

them slums or ghettos or shantytowns- will 

be where politicians will have to go looking 

for rich harvests of electoral votes. 

The successful addressing of the issue 

requires fresh economic thinking coupled 

with concerted efforts through public-private 

partnerships to address the central economic 

issues of: 

1. Infrastructural development addressing the 

issues of water, electricity, sanitation roads, 

housing 

2. Skills development with a focus on technical 

and vocational training 

3. Agricultural transformation to raise 

agricultural productivity and incomes 

In many ways the informal economy and 

informal urban settlements will determine the 

economic futures of countries like Ghana and 

Nigeria. How well a country does depends on 

how well the majority of the population does. 

If the majority has access to productive skills, 

work and incomes and can pay taxes to pay 

for services, the economy has a chance of 

thriving. If not then anyone’s guess could be 

as good as mine. 

©Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy 

72 73

BUILDINGS 

tell a story 

20th Century Architecture in Kenya 

By Janfrans van der Eerden 

MSc Arch Architect MAAK 

Inset: Office building in Thika in a “New Expressionism” 

style that reminds us of designs by the Spanish architect 

Ricardo Bofill, roughly 2000. 

Photographs by Janfrans van der Eerden 

74 75

About the Author 

Janfrans van der Eerden is an architect from the 

Netherlands who has worked for three years in 

Kenya, both as a building engineer (in Kisumu), 

and an architect (in Lamu). While working 

in Lamu, he contributed to the renovation 

and protection of the town, which is at present 

an acknowledged UNESCO-world heritage 

site. Since then he has worked many years in 

architects’ offices and now has his own practice 

in Amsterdam. In addition, he is a lecturer 

in architecture and building technology at the 

University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam. He 

is a registered architect in Kenya and is affiliated 

with African Architecture Matters. 

He makes an annual visit to Kenya and works 

in collaboration with the National Museum of 

Kenya towards a professional policy on monument 

protection and transformation. He also maintains 

contacts with universities in Kenya in the field of 

architectural education. In the years 2007-2011, 

he has travelled extensively within the country 

and the result of that trip is a focus on Kenya’s 

valuable tangible heritage and the need to protect 

and integrate it. 

Kenya hosted the oldest of human ancestors. However - unlike 

Zimbabwe, Ghana or Ethiopia – it has not been singled out as a country 

with the history of an elaborate civilization predating colonization. 

Notwithstanding this, there is a lot of tangible heritage of a high quality. 

Most of this has been well defined and protected, like the remains of 

the Swahili civilization along the coast with international UNESCO 

recognition in areas such as Lamu, Malindi and Gedi. Unfortunately, 

more recent creations of the twentieth century are often forgotten, even 

though that century left behind a remarkable set of artefacts. 

Heritage under Siege 

Now, in the 21st century, Kenya has a 

rapidly expanding economy resulting in a 

commensurate boom in the construction 

industry. A lot of new buildings are constantly 

being erected and even more are needed. 

Every few months new images are added to 

the public appearance of the city of Nairobi, 

and there is a corresponding occurrence in 

places like Nakuru, Kisumu and numerous 

other cities and towns as well. As plot prices 

go up in the centre of towns, the pressure to 

redevelop plots with vintage buildings piles 

up. Old buildings invariably become soft 

targets and demolitions are now going on 

at the very places where the only remaining 

history of these towns is still visible. 

In other parts of the country, even though the 

economic development is less, technological 

ill-adjustment in terms of service delivery, 

undermines the usability of old buildings, 

causing them to be either abandoned or left 

in a state of great disrepair. 

Why Conserve? 

To the keen eye, all these buildings are fluent 

witnesses of the history, right from the arrival 

of the railway to present day. For posterity’s 

sake, a selection should be saved for our 

children to learn about the history of Kenya’s 

entry into the global world. The buildings 

with time grow from mere edifices into 

valuable representatives that explain what 

Kenya is today. And we are not just talking of 

buildings, factories and churches. 

Cultural landscapes, including large farms 

and plantations, public parks and lanes, and 

civil engineering works such as bridges and 

roads carry with them the ‘placeness’ story of 

cultivation and adaptation to human existence 

of an era. When destroyed, you remove the 

heart and soul that imbues the identity of that 

region. 

76 77

My Vista 

Let us look at the conservation of town 

planning, landscaping and architecture from 

1895 onwards. The year 1895 is not chosen 

arbitrarily. Being the year the East African 

Protectorate was founded, it becomes the 

year before which all tangible artefacts are 

automatically protected according to the 

National Museums and Heritage Act of 

Kenya (2006). 

Since my first encounter with Kenya in 1978 

I have been impressed by the surprisingly 

high quality of architecture. During my 

annual trips to Kenya since 2007 I have 

photographed buildings with a great passion. 

A lecture called “Built Beauty” was written as 

an account of this interaction and delivered 

to a professional audience in Kenya in 2012. 

Many were surprised by the presented 

buildings and cultural landscapes. 

Largely inspired by a variety of imported styles, 

modern and recent constructions also make 

a striking impression with their individual 

style. Slowly, however, at the present moment 

buildings and structures from the first half of 

the 20th century are disappearing. This was 

the epoch in which Kenya was suddenly - and 

with force - pushed into the modern world 

and became a part of a global community. In 

fact, lots of new structures remind us of this 

fascinating (and often frustrating) period. 

However, since Kenya is a relatively young 

nation, much attention has gone to other 

priorities rather than to research and document 

the built past. The enormous increase in 

both population and economic growth are 

determining the course of development. 

Concerned individuals see that this tendency 

of uncoordinated demolitions also destroys 

the sources from which contemporary 

architecture has consistently been drawn. 

78 79

Resistance to this pattern of 

destruction is in its infancy 

but is steadily growing. For 

example, small initiatives 

have been launched by 

individuals or groups with 

concerns being raised in the 

media. 

At a time when Kenya has 

been an independent nation 

for 50 years, I think the 

time is ripe to develop tools 

to protect what inspires 

us and thus to make use of 

what already exists, create 

a design continuum and 

provide the possibility for 

the past with to tell us its 

story. 

Previous Page: Shops with upper floor dwellings in 

Nakuru in an elaborate Art Deco style, roughly 1930, 

demolished in 2011. 

Right: Hotel building in Thika, possibly designed by 

Georg Vamos, in the style of the International Modernism, 

roughly 1975. 


80 81

Conclusion 

The available built heritage in Kenya 

contains examples that represent all periods 

of the global architectural and engineering 

development from half the nineteenth century 

and onwards. They are therefore a source of 

inspiration for all generations of Kenyans, 

including architects, landscapers and town 

planners. Nobody needs to go overseas to see 

the wide achievements which are alive around 

us! 

This article initially was written for the 

magazine of the Architectural Association of 

Kenya. By the lecture “Built Beauty” and this 

article I hope to make the audience aware of 

the quality of the built heritage and inspire an 

affinity towards its protection and integration. 

With a clear and active policy, we can 

showcase such buildings to the public. And 

by involving the many stakeholders we can 

create a new form of architectural activism in 

the region. Alongside this article a selection 

of four Kenyan building examples is made to 

illustrate the quality in various styles. 

Before a policy and understanding of these 

issues is successful, guidelines and a scrutiny 

is required to recognise quality. May I invite 

any professional in Africa to look around 

with your experienced eye and see the beauty 

surrounding us. Who wants to help developing 

the recognition of the past among one’s peer 

group as well as the general audience? 

Left: Restaurant and bar near Njoro in a romantic rural 

European style, roughly 1935, now abandoned. 


82 83

preserving 

ACCRA’S architectural heritage 

This event featured the Children’s Library as a backdrop to initiate the 

dialogue on the need for preservation, restoration and not erasure. This 

important iconic building is a powerful symbol of Ghana’s modernist 

contextual tradition. However due to neglect, the building is in desperate 

need of restoration. 

Hosting the event at the Children’s Library initiated much needed 

discourse on why and how we can build on our past as we look to the 

future in all aspect of our lives. The panelists included Nat Amarteifio 

(Architectural historian, Write & former Mayor of Accra), Senam 

Okudzeto (Artist, Writer & Scholar) and Osei Agyeman (Former 

President of the Ghana Institute of Architects). The discussion was 

moderated by Joe Osae-Addo 

The event has brought to light the need for heritage policies, as currently 

there is a wholesale destruction of historical buildings. The discussion 

involved how people can be encouraged to identify heritage buildings 

(outside of the typical forts and castles) and adopt policies to protect them. 

In light of this discussion on the city and its history, the event will also 

marked the opening of an exhibition featuring the photographs of the city 

taken by school children from 10 different areas of Accra. This exhibition 

provided the perfect backdrop for what proved to be an interesting 

discussion about the city, its history, heritage, preservation and restoration. 

84 85

Osei Agyeman 

“Architecture is part of the beginnings of 

civilization, when man sought to have a 

home. Having come this far, it is obvious that 

architecture is an expression of the people’s 

identity and culture. So as a nation, if you 

take us back to the 1950s you will realize that 

the icons of our development were closely 

related to architecture. They translated into 

what our visions were as a nation. Take the 

black star square, children’s library, national 

museum, coco board building, etc. All these 

buildings represented various aspects of our 

vision; as far as education, as far as finance, 

as far as government and they serve to be of 

some purpose. 

Somehow between the 70’s and early 

80’s onwards, we seem to be lost as far as 

architecture as the medium of translating 

national heritage. And forgive me to say this 

but those footprints that you probably see in 

the national theatre, in the conference center, 

in the jubilee flagstaff house and the most 

recent foreign affairs building are done by the 

Chinese or the Indians. So you need to ask 

yourself using architecture as a medium to 

transform nations, where are we. Once you use 

once, you use it throughout. And that is why 

we seem to have some amount of discourse 

in respect of the arts, in respect of fashion, 

in respect of food. You see architecture is 

the about the best medium to really aid 

civilization, because the only functional icon 

that survives beyond time.” 

Previous Page : Central Library, Accra 

Left: Electricity Department Headquarters 

Above: The headquarters of the Industrial Development 

Corporation (left) and beyond it the newly opened Cooperative 

Bank in Accra, 1957 

Images Courtesy of the UK National Archives 

86 87

Senam Okudzeto 

“For the past several years Uncle Nat has been 

organizing these wonderful heritage tours of 

Accra, and we had architecture students from 

all over the world. 

We do these wonderful tours where we actually 

take people into Jamestown and actually give 

them a sense of how the city built and the 

various cultures that informed the capital 

as well as then expanding onto the more 

modernist buildings. What is really remarkable 

is that Ghana’s architecture is becoming 

more of a focus for architecture students 

internationally. Foreign architecture students 

know more about Ghanaian architecture than 

Ghanaian students themselves; we don’t want 

this to happen. 

I love the idea of having an action committee 

and actually trying to find practical solutions 

that suit these spaces. I love the idea of 

renovating this space and using it publicly, 

it won’t take much. One of the things that 

have been driving me mad is looking at this 

floor. I live half the year in Switzerland and 

people pay money for old floors. They pay a 

hundred times the price of new floor, for old 

seasoned hard wood like this. I mean it is like 

sitting in a gold mine that no one can see and 

constantly when visitors come from abroad, 

we have the Tate come and they ask me to 

organize these tours with Uncle Nat because 

they have heard about his heritage tours. We 

have this reputation through people like Nat 

and Joe Osae-Addo internationally of really 

caring about our heritage and architecture 

but it is very frustrating because we aren’t 

responding fast enough. And thank God the 

buildings that students want to see are still 

standing. The reason they are still standing is 

because often people don’t have the money to 

tear them down and that is really a tragedy. 

All these buildings are in a state of disrepair, 

but you can tell the sort of love that the 

architecture and the design they have managed 

to take. These stunning photographs which 

kind of manage to capture the elegance of the 

form and give you a sense of the beauty that 

informs it and somehow the photographs are 

a form of renovation in themselves. 

We don’t have much work to 

do in order to preserve these 

buildings. Architecture 

responds to a reflection of 

our history and our state of 

being, and really, we have 

to address this malaise. It is 

also a form of an ideological 

renaissance which is 

desperately needed.” 

Left (Above): Accra Town and Christiansborg 

Left (Below): Central Library, Accra 

Images Courtesy of the UK National Archives 

88 89

in conversation with 

pROF. NIKOS 

SALINGAROS 

By Zaheer Allam & J. Soopramanien 

Prof. Nikos Salingaros is a professor of Mathematics, Physics and Architecture at the University of 

Texas San Antonio and is ranked 11th among the “Top 100 Urban Thinkers of all times” and ranked 

among the “50 visionaries that are changing your world”. This highly eminent personality has graciously 

agreed to share his views on the Mauritian energy model in order to achieve a truly sustainable system. 

Emerging countries and emerging 

economies have the opportunities to analyse 

the pros and cons of developed states such 

as Europe and the USA. According to your 

experience, would coal be the right choice 

for a developing economy in relation with 

the energy sector? 

NS. No. Coal is a short-term solution with a 

large number of inherent problems. We have 

the example of China, which has severely 

damaged herself by basing its economic and 

industrial base on coal-generated energy. Not 

only is the air now unbreathable, but also the 

model itself is wrong in a geopolitical sense. 

China’s economy has been aligned to consume, 

and there is not enough energy in the Earth to 

sustain that. The energy generated from coal 

is spent in producing unsustainable urban 

construction, high rises and glass skyscrapers, 

a gasoline-guzzling vehicular economy, and 

the destruction of a millennial sustainable 

way of life. Tragically, the newly-generated 

energy has been used to destroy what was a 

perfectly sustainable low-energy civilization. 

Of course, both politicians and powerful 

commercial interests have driven this change, 

and many individuals have made personal 

fortunes out of it. Well-meaning politicians 

have realized their goal of catching up with 

the West: but the West was on the wrong road 

to begin with. Catching up means making the 

same disastrous mistakes. 

90 91

Renewable energy is the trend but yet so 

expensive in practice. How can we expect a 

coal and oil free energy sector for emerging 

economies if implementing renewable 

assets are unaffordable? 

NS. Perhaps you are looking at the wrong 

perspective, which gives a skewed balance for 

the costs. If you continue to conceive of energy 

as centrally-controlled, and requiring massive 

capital investment, then yes, alternative 

sources are too expensive today. But I’m 

recommending instead local alternative 

energy sources that can be implemented using 

a peer-to-peer model. 

The capital outlays are significantly less. More 

important, the technology is not dependent 

upon any monopoly and foreign control of 

know-how and materials. 

So, please be extremely cautious with topdown 

solutions, whether they are for coal 

generation or renewable energy sources, and 

instead dig deeper in the self-help category of 

energy innovations. Those are to be found if 

one looks for them. 

Time is going by and the population 

of the world is on a swift increasing 

trend. What is your analysis on the pace 

of implementing the renewable energy 

sector? Are we lagging behind? 

NS. Those parts of the world whose population 

outgrows resources are in for serious problems. 

I’m hoping that increased education will level 

off population growth, as we have seen in 

many parts of the world. Now the renewable 

energy sector is progressing slowly, partly due 

to inertia of the current energy industry to 

innovate, and a misunderstanding of what 

energy is for. We know of energy companies 

sabotaging new sources of energy because 

those compete with what they are now selling. 

An even greater problem is that the presentday 

energy sector demands centralized 

control, and is fighting against any innovation 

that promises to produce energy with local 

resources that go around centralized control. 

Yet this is precisely where the sustainable 

solution for humanity lies. Keeping the same 

top-down control of energy and merely 

substituting giant centralized solar power 

plants for coal-burning plants will make only 

a marginal improvement, but will not change 

the real source of the problem in the long 

term. 

Electricity being now a basic necessity for 

the modern world, will renewable energy 

be able to meet up with the demand around 

the globe? 

NS. I hope so, although I cannot guarantee 

it. There will of course have to be a transition 

period where all sorts of different energy 

sources will coexist for a while. What should 

not be done is to take a unilateral decision 

on energy sources straight away, and invest 

vast amounts into one single source. Or to 

commit a country to a single technology, in 

case something much better comes along in 

a few years. The energy sector must maintain 

adaptability, variability, and flexibility on the 

shortest possible turnaround cycle. This is of 

course the opposite of efficiency. Efficiency 

in energy production requires streamlining, 

hence introduces an inherent instability and 

lack of resilience to unexpected change. All of 

us expect major changes in the energy equation, 

sooner or later, so it’s essential to build in 

resilience into the system and sacrifice shortterm 

efficiency. Here, we can learn from other 

disciplines such as the constant innovation 

of the computer industry (although there 

are negative lessons of outdated standards 

and giant corporations blocking progress for 

years). 

Will the world be ready in the next five 

decades for petrol-free economies and our 

economic activity at large? 

NS. I doubt it. And this will probably mark 

the beginning of the long catastrophe. But at 

least forward-looking countries can minimize 

the future damage to their economies and 

population by preparing now for a range of 

distinct eventualities. Nothing is certain, 

so we have to plan for alternatives, and be 

extremely flexible. Small countries that are 

taking energy decisions today can jump 

ahead of those countries that have invested 

in antiquated technologies but are now stuck 

with them. 

92 93

Do you share the popular view that coal 

ash is more radioactive than nuclear 

waste? 

NS. Being a scientist, I would defer comment 

on this question to other experts. I have not 

researched it, so I have no opinion. It is however 

very easy to measure the radioactivity of coal 

ash to either verify or dispute this claim. 

You are for Biourbanism. Please explain 

what is this term. 

NS. Biourbanism uses human physiological 

and psychological responses to design the built 

environment. Everything we build must make 

us healthy and not damage our physiology. 

The earth’s biosystem has priorities for 

biological life; our activities (which include 

all our construction, energy generation, and 

use) should respect human sensibilities as 

long as those don’t damage the ecosystem; 

and only lastly prioritize our technology and 

its physical manifestations. During the past 

several decades, those priorities have been 

reversed to promote industrial consumption 

instead of biourbanism. A living city should 

allow the maximum number of people to lead 

healthy lives. The image and geometry of this 

healthy city designed by my friends is very 

traditional, and it definitely does not consist 

of glass skyscrapers amid superhighways: 

that is an unsustainable model that leads 

directly to ecological and societal disaster. A 

sustainable society builds innovation out of 

its own heritage and traditions, local evolved 

solutions and practices, etc. It does not throw 

away everything to replace it with an external 

model just because other countries are doing 

this. 

You support a sustainable future. How 

does a coal-powered plant fit in a small 

island like Mauritius? 

NS. It doesn’t fit at all. Mauritius is a tourist 

destination and you don’t want to ruin that 

industry by generating smoke like we see 

today in Chinese cities. Sure, you can clean 

the smoke by using technology, but that isn’t 

cheap, and then you become dependent upon 

imported high technology. Neither is coal 

energy sustainable. Where do you mine it? 

How expensive is transport to the island? Do 

you have guaranteed sources at an affordable 

price for the next several decades? Suppose 

China doesn’t have enough coal for its own 

power plants… can you compete on price 

with China? Will your source sell coal to you 

or to China? Questions that are embarrassing, 

because they reveal an underlying uncertainty 

and fundamental unsustainability. The 

militarily powerful countries can afford to 

support this extremely expensive city model, 

but it damages the lives of ordinary human 

beings. Developing countries cannot maintain 

it, simply because the stronger countries will 

grab the fossil energy sources when those 

eventually become scarce. Note that the 

scarcity will be determined by political and 

military might, and will occur not as the fossil 

fuel runs out, but when it seems certain that it 

will. Weak countries will be thrown out of the 

game altogether. Here is a chance for a small 

country to be more advanced than larger ones, 

by re-defining what “modernity” really means 

within the context of sustainability, and not 

tied to catastrophic consumerism. 

Previous Page: Image Courtesy of Prof. Ron Eglash 

94 95

96 97

CONFERENCE 

announcement 

The Lagos Dialogues 2013 will take place at the Golden Tulip Hotel Lagos, from 5th – 8th December 

2013. We invite you to attend this ground breaking international conference and dialogue on buildings, 

culture, and the built environment in Africa. Hosted by the organisation ArchiAfrika, based in Ghana, 

with support from organisations and institutions throughout Africa, and across the world. Its main 

aim is to provide a venue and forum for discussion, debate and academic discourse on emerging themes 

related to the African City and the built environment on the continent. 

The event is unique in gathering together both scholars and creative people from Africa to provide 

a forum to share and debate their ideas on the key themes which are shaping Africa’s buildings and 

urban environment, through a number of cultural and social lenses, including literature, art, and the 

traditional built environment disciplines. 

There are five thematic areas that will be covered: 

Theme 1 : The African Diaspora - Culture and the Inter-disciplinary Arts. 

From the Harlem Renaissance to the Black 

Arts Movement, and across the Atlantic to 

the Osogbo Movement, the Mbari Group and 

FESTAC’77, black culture has a history of 

celebrating its collaborative interdisciplinary 

art. Today’s contribution to this tradition 

is magnified and expanded by the ease of 

intercontinental connections, which has seen 

a more fluid movement of art, and artists 

across the Atlantic and other geographic 

and continental divides. This thematic forum 

explores what this movement has meant in 

the new reconstruction and reconstitution of 

urban culture across Africa and in its Diaspora. 

It is also charged to debate and explore the 

sources of today’s artistic movements as 

filtered through the productions of previous 

decades. 

Left: Poster of the documentary, Soul to Soul. 

Photo: Wikipedia 

Theme 2 : Housing Cultures 

Above: Opera Village, Laongo, Burkina Faso Photo: Kéré Architecture 

Shedding the outdated definitions of 

culture and imagining new rubrics beyond 

the established Western paradigms of the 

Museum, Theatre or Opera House in which 

‘culture’ has traditionally been housed and 

viewed. What are the new definitions of the 

Theme 3 : African Cities and Mass Housing 

Above: Nairobi showing Kenyatta International 

Conference Centre, Times Tower and Nairobi 

City Hall Photo: Wikipedia 

culture house? This theme will deal with the 

exploration of specific 21st Century African 

typologies of performance, exhibition and 

entertainment culture, which demand a rethink 

of the dated paradigms. 

Since the emergence of Timbuktu, Benin, and 

Zimbabwe and other urban centres in Africa, 

the notion of population hubs in Africa 

where trade, education or pilgrimage have 

taken place has been embedded history. More 

recently Africa is on course to have at least 

three cities with populations in excess of 10 

million before the end of the current decade. 

Compounded with this are the socio-political 

forces which have rendered urban areas as 

either survivors of war, religious ‘cleansing’, 

‘famine’ or conversely intense economic 

activity. 

98 99

How do we now live work and play in our cities? 

How do we engage with the urban, sub-urban 

and peri-urban. Can we successfully use these 

models of cityscape within the informalities 

and different ordering that characterizes most 

African cities. What defines and projects city 

culture today? What distinctiveness does 

Dakar have from Johannesburg? Or Cairo 

from Nairobi? 

This theme invites its participants to explore 

the African from various perspectives; the 

cultural - what is and what drives contemporary 

city culture in Africa, the economic - how can 

our cities compete economically with the rest 

of the global world through different flows, 

economic, technological and so on. Also, 

importantly how do we construct and build 

Theme 4 : The physical and virtual worlds of Africa: 

our cities to project their uniqueness and 

also signify their participation in global city 

discourses. 

Sub Theme: The Mass Housing 

This sub-theme encourages participants 

to engage with the ever current discourses 

related to debates on how we ‘do’ housing in 

the 20th century. Particularly in the ‘South’, 

where statistics suggest the majority of our 

city residents live in ‘slum’ conditions. What 

constitutes adequate mass housing and what 

specificities define its delivery in African 

cities. Where does the discourse end and the 

practice begin. What are the real economic 

costs of delivering mass accessible housing 

to the masses, what financing, materials and 

technologies do we have to have to do this. 

Above: A public gathering in the Konso village of Gaho. The unique governance and community 

structures of the Konso Cultural Landscape were recognized by UNESCO. Photo: Yonas Beyene 

Literary space, Filmic space, Mass Media and 

Public Space 

Africa has rarely been away from the media 

- from the damning Casement Report on 

‘goings on’ in the Belgian Congo, to the early 

filming of the African jungle in ‘Tarzan,’ to 

its portrayal as the hungry continent of war 

and famine. Recently the exoticification of 

Africa has continued at pace, from the East 

African Safari tourism to our 21st century 

preoccupation with slum and aid tourism. 

What is Africa? Do we view it as a place 

as a concept and most importantly as a 

commodification in today’s media? What 

and how are today’s African spaces inhabited, 

and who mediates its presentation and 

objectification in the global arena? Arguably 

our built environment plays a crucial role in 

this process as the film District 9 blockbuster 

based in JHB, with Nigerians portrayed as 

criminals, used the Johannesburg streets to 

portray adeptly. In literature, Achebe, Ekwensi, 

Abrahams and others have all written with 

more care and narration about the city - as a 

backdrop to their seminal novels. How can our 

newly found and appreciated urban cultures 

and backdrops work more successfully in 

redefining or critically re-interpreting the 

African city? 

How is freedom defined in spatial terms? 

Literary terms? Filmic terms? Have there 

Sponsored By: 

been any historical shifts? How is public 

space defined? Spaces of gathering, debate, 

discussion, participation, spectacle, action, 

domain of common concern, sites of 

inclusivity and exclusivity. How is public 

space transformed, how it is defined? 

Sub-theme: Africa in Print 

Of all the mediums, print remains the most 

enduring and ubiquitous format, of media 

engagement and portrayal of Africa only 

recently being challenged in position by the 

Internet. The historic print media on Africa, 

from the Red Book of West Africa, through 

to the Drum, Lagos Weekend, to more 

contemporary publications such as Glendora, 

the Weekly Mail and Guardian in the mass 

media, to the special interest publications 

such as Building Lagos. More recently we find 

collections on Africa such as the Documenta 

Platform 9 collection, Sandbank City Africans 

and their afficionadoes have been publishing 

on and in Africa for decades. 

How does this manifest itself in our 

understanding of our urban identity and our 

interpretation of urban life today? What will 

the future of print media in Africa specifically 

be as we all retreat to our digital devices? 

What will this mean to the city and how will 

it adapt? This forum is a cross over between 

the main forum’s focus on all forms of media 

and the final forum’s sub theme on new forms 

of technology in Africa. 

100 101

Theme 5 : The Green Imperative & New Technologies for Urban Africa 

Above: The Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in South Africa designed by Peter Rich Architects. 

Photo : Iwan Baan 

Since the 1992 Rio Protocol, Africans and 

others in the world have had to come to terms 

with the high cost of energy and the need to 

source and develop reliable and inexpensive 

methods of generating energy. For urban 

life, this also has meant exploring alternative 

cooking fuels and building materials that are 

locally sourced, less polluting, and meet with the 

expected contemporary efficiency standards, 

to meet with international sustainability 

standards. Also with the introduction of new 

communication technologies, such as “BIM” 

in the contract process, as well as internet 

telephony etc, African cities and their built 

environment can be connected with the world. 

This thematic panel explores and engages 

in debate about what ‘going green’ and new 

associated technologies will mean for the built 

environment in 21st century African cities. 

Are new renewable energy technologies cost 

effective for power generation for urban Africa? 

Are the sustainable ‘low-tech’ materials fit 

for purpose in contemporary buildings, what 

non fixed-line, communications technologies 

are most effective for file-sharing as well as 

communications? In the particular case of 

Nigeria, Angola and other petro-economies, 

what happens when the fuel runs dry? 

CALL 

for papers & proposals 

We invite you to send in 300-word abstract proposals for academic papers related to these thematic 

areas. The African Perspectives Scientific Committee will review all abstracts before selecting papers 

to be presented at the conference. Also invited are proposals for projects, cultural interventions, and 

other presentation media, associated with these themes, these will also be reviewed before selection. 

We particularly invite graduate student proposals on themes of interest, which will help us develop a 

student workshop, which will run in parallel to the event. 

We expect all proposals to be submitted digitally, by email. For presentation and performance proposals, 

please send a description of your proposal, with images where available that can be photographed or 

recorded, digitally so they can be sent online. Emails should only be sent to the address given below. A 

website for upload of material is being created which will be linked to the email. 

Your proposal must be received online by the deadline date 15 June 2013. You will be informed by 15 

July 2013, whether we have accepted your proposal. If your proposal is accepted, you will then be asked to 

revise this according to the guidelines set out by the reviewers and in the given conference format. If you 

intend to go ahead with a full presentation, we expect you to send the conference office confirmation that 

you intend to produce a full submission, to the conference on or before 15 August 2013. This confirmation 

should include your revised abstract or proposal, taking into account the scientific reviewers comments. 

Drafts of papers, artwork, videos and ‘works in progress’ of conference material, should be sent in for 

final review on or before 15 September 2013. Only work that has been reviewed at this stage will be 

eligible for final submission. 

All final conference submissions; papers, artwork, etc, must take place by 5 November 2013. Please note 

that work that has not been reviewed in September cannot be submitted in November. 

The Lagos 2013 Conference programme will be published prior to the conference, and include abstract 

information about all selected submissions; academic papers, artwork etc. After the conference the 

scientific committee intends to select the best papers presented to produce an academic online publication. 

102 103

Submission Requirements 

Please send your proposal (300 words maximum in length) in ‘rtf ’ or ‘doc’ format indicating: 

- Title of proposal/abstract 

- your name 

- your institution 

- address 

- phone number 

- email address 

Unfortunately there are no funds available through the organization of African Perspectives 2013 

to support any entry. However should your proposal be successfully reviewed we would be happy to 

provide letters of support to agencies you may ask to support the funding of your trip. 

Registration & Costs 

You will be informed when registration begins for the conference. Suggestions will be offered for 

accommodation arrangements and logistics. Participation fees are as follows: 

Regular fee: $400 

International delegates fee: $600 

Early bird fee (before 1 August 2013): $300 

International early bird fee: $600 

Students Fee: $100 

International Students Fee: $150 

Presenters Fee: $200 

International Presenters Fee: $400 

Day Fee: $200 per day 

International Day Fee: $300 per day 

Payment details will follow, but can take place online or by bank transfer? 

Important Dates 

15.06.2013 Deadline for submission of all proposals 

15.07.2013 Deadline for information of selected proposals by scientific committee and/or review 

requirements. 

15.08.2013 Deadline for resubmission formatted and revised proposals and confirmation of intention 

to submit full proposal 

15.09.2013 Deadline for submission of full draft proposals 

15.10.2013 Deadline for review of all submissions by scientific committee 

05.11.2013 Deadline for submission of final submissions 

25.11.2013 Publication of abstracts of all submissions on the website 

05.12.2013 Start of African Perspectives 2013 

Scientific Committee 

Chaired by Dr Ola Uduku (University of Edinburgh) and Joe Osae-Addo (ArchiAfrika) 

Theme 1 - African Diaspora Culture and Interdisciplinary Arts 

Anna Abengowe, Mabel Smith 

Theme 2 - Housing Cultures 

Hannah Le Roux, Cordelia Osasanya 

Theme 3 - African Cities and Mass housing 

Karel Bakker, Moumen, Jean Tall, Laurence Esho, Paul Jenkins 

Theme 4 - Physical and Virtual Worlds of Africa (including print and film) 

Ola + PhD student, Okey Nduka 

Theme 5- Green Imperative 

Ola Uduku , Mark Olweny 

Student Organiser/reviewer 


Art and Media Proposals 

Berend 

All Submissions to be addressed to: 

Dahlia Roberts 

dahlia@aaaccra.org (please use email in the first instance) 

Tel +233 (0) 301522248 

Cell+233 (0) 544322266 

African Perspectives Lagos Dialogues 2013 Conference Office & Information 

ArchiAfrika Accra 

A&C Square, Store #M31 

Jungle Road, East Legon, Accra Ghana 

We look forward to seeing you in Lagos this December! 

104 105

CONTENTS 

Contributors 

Hugh Masakela 

Nat Nuno-Amarteifio 



Zeina Elcheikh 

Gilbert Nii-Okai Addy 

Janfrans van der Eerden 

Zaheer Allam 

J. Soopramanien 

Joe Osae-Addo 

Editor 

Tuuli Saarela 


Art Director & Design 

Constructs r+d 

Joe Osae-Addo 

Pallavi Kumar 


Translation 

Fabrice Aboussa

ArchiAfrika-April-Magazine-English-final-v2

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