ArchiAfrika-April-Magazine-English-final-v2

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.
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