ArchiAfrika-April-Magazine-English-final-v2

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
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