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BUILDINGS INSTEAD OF DISCOURSE
Empa hy and Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes A ica
Adedoyin Te iba
P a Ins i u e, B ooklyn, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica
Abs ac
The la e hal o he wen ie h cen u y wi nessed a silen and unaba ed end among
a chi ec s in A ica o c ea e a chi ec u e ha e lec ed hei mode n iden i ies and changing
poli ical si ua ions. Mode n na ions s a es eme ged, unhooked om Eu opean colonial
mas e s. A chi ec s eac ed o he new pos -colonial si ua ions o hese new na ions by
c ea ing buildings ha embodied hei eelings abou who mode n A icans we e and wha
hey could own. In o he wo ds, hese designe s e ec ed s uc u es ha hey wan ed o
empa hize wi h. None heless such e o s we e no coo dina ed on a con inen al scale and
hence occu ed in i s and s a s, owing pa ly o he hegemonic powe o he In e na ional
S yle o be applied o municipal and educa ional buildings on he con inen . Tha was o
change wi h A chiA ika, an A ican no - o -p o i o ganiza ion ha o ganizes con e ences o
discuss he u u e o a chi ec u e in A ica. I decided o con ene ano he mee ing in 2014
in Lagos, Nige ia. The occasion was o ma k he i s ime ha a chi ec s such as Si Da id
Adjaye, Kunle Adeyemi, F ancis Ke e and he ounde o A chiA ika, a Ghanaian named
Joseph Addo, would pa icipa e in a panel discussion abou wha o ms he buil
en i onmen should ake in he wen y- i s cen u y.
All ou a chi ec s ha e con inued o c ea e a chi ec u e on he con inen ha has explo ed
he place o empa hy, iden i y, a chi ec u al o m and c i ical egionalism on he con inen .
A o e unne was he Nige ian a is u ned a chi ec , Demas Nwoko who has la gely
emained unknown in o he pa s o A ica, no o men ion he Wes e n wo ld. This pape
will explo e how some o hei buildings (including Nwoko) ha e con ibu ed o a discou se
ha has no aken place in a con e ence se ing. In o he wo ds, he p esen a ion will
in es iga e how hei commissions ha e eplaced wo ds some deemed necessa y o u u e
deba es abou mode n a chi ec u e in A ica.
Keywo ds: Empa hy, Iden i ies, Pe o ma i e, Locale, Aes he ic
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Buildings Ins ead o Discou se: Empa hy, Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes
A ica
The dawn o he wen ie h- i s cen u y has seen he ise o a chi ec s o A ican
descen , who inc easingly ha e con ibu ed o a global discou se on con empo a y
a chi ec u e. While he mo e popula ones among his g oup, namely F ancis Ke e,
Si Da id Adjaye and Kunle Adeyemi ha e ecei ed a lo o a en ion in he Wes –
winning p es igious awa ds and so on – local a chi ec s based in di e en A ican
coun ies also come o mind. One in pa icula is Demas Nwoko, a Nige ian
oc ogena ian and sel - augh a chi ec whose unde g adua e educa ion was in
Sculp u e.
Figu e 1: Demas Nwoko (Top Le ), F ancis Ke e (Top Righ ),
Si Da id Adjaye (Bo om Righ ), Joe Addo (Bo om Le ) and
Kunle Adeyemi (Middle Le )
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Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
439
This pape will examine how hese a chi ec s’ p ojec s wi hin A ica in his e a
sough o w es le wi h con empo a y A ican iden i ies wi hin he inc easingly global
wen ie h and wen y- i s cen u ies. This p esen a ion does no pu po o be an
exhaus i e ea men o he many local esponses and engagemen wi h mode n
and con empo a y a chi ec s in he Wes . Addi ionally, he selec ion o a chi ec u al
commissions may seem a i s glance haphaza d. Ne e heless, he jus i ica ion o
examining he wo ks o Ke e, Adjaye, Addo, Adeyemi and Nwoko lies in hei
dogged pu sui o a local a chi ec u al aes he ic wi hin hei a ious locales. In
o he wo ds, i is he de e mina ion o his pape ha hey sough o c ea e a sense
o empa hy wi h hei a chi ec u al o ms ha e ealed as much as abou wha he
con empo a y Nige ian, he con empo a y Ghanaian, e en he Bu kinabe should
look like and possess – as wha o ms con empo a y a chi ec u e should adop in
he wen ie h and wen y- i s cen u ies. This p esen a ion pu po s o be he
beginning o a la ge s udy ha will inco po a e mo e case- s udies o o he
a chi ec s in A ica ha will uly e lec an ambi ious con inen al s udy.
One mo e hing needs o be said in a o o why hese i e a chi ec s and hei
commissions. All bu one o hem we e o pa icipa e in a con e ence in o de o
discuss he u u e o he buil en i onmen . A chiA ika, an A ican no - o -p o i
o ganiza ion ha o ganizes con e ences o discuss he u u e o a chi ec u e in
A ica decided o con ene such a mee ing in 2014 in Lagos, Nige ia. The occasion
was o ma k he i s ime ha Adjaye, Adeyemi, Ke e and he ounde o
A chiA ika, a Ghanaian named Addo, would pa icipa e in a panel discussion abou
wha o ms he buil en i onmen should ake in he wen y- i s cen u y. A cu ious
oo no e is he ac ha Demas Nwoko was no in i ed. I aises he possibili y ha
his exclusion may be due o his lack o “ aining” as a p o essional a chi ec o e en
he lack o publici y o his esiden ial and public buildings beyond he bo de s o
p esen -day Nige ia.
Nwoko’s omission om he Lagos Con e ence also highligh s how di e en
a chi ec s on he con inen ha e no been able o ne wo k e ec i ely, pa icula as
i pe ains o he ques o c ea ing egional a chi ec u e. One would hink ha he
Adedoyin Te iba, Buildings Ins ead o Discou se. Empa hy and Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes A ica
440
p eponde ance o oices in Nige ian and Ghanaian newspape s would ha e ale ed
he a chi ec s in bo h coun ies o he need o add ess he ques ion o empa hy in
a chi ec u e. Ne e heless, i seems ha he Nige ian Ins i u e o A chi ec s (NIA)
and he Ghanaian Ins i u e o A chi ec s (GIA) seem obli ious o he moun ing
p essu es o he public in bo h na ions. In bo h coun ies, he con en ional
cons uc ion o buildings couched in a neo-Palladian s yle – no o men ion a las
gasp o he In e na ional S yle – goes apace. The a gumen ha he NIA con inues
o gi e o such cons uc ion is ha he adical, albei egional a chi ec u al
al e na i es ha new a chi ec s p opose a e no sa e and do no mee he igo ous
s anda ds o Nige ian Building Codes and Public Sa e ies. The ema k is i onic o
say he leas because o he sadly equen occu ence o he collapse o buildings
ha Nige ians ha e woken up o in he las wen y yea s.
The need o a o um o discuss how cu en a chi ec s, sadly wi h he clou on he
wo ld s age o an Adjaye, Ke e and Adeyemi; was in pa o espond o he
esis ance ha p o essional bodies such as he NIA and GIA aised. Joseph Addo
he con ene , also had a b oad ision o how he could equally ans o m he design
disciplines in A ica. The Lagos Con e ence Addi ionally, mul iple pape sessions
explo ing an in e sec ion be ween design, A ica and he A ican Diaspo a, was also
supposed o ake place alongside he a o emen ioned panel discussion. Addo’s
agenda, i seems, was o explo e whe he mode n a chi ec u al o ms could
documen o exp ess exis ing social and cul u al condi ions on he con inen – a nod
o Kenne h F amp on’s cla ion call o a C i ical Regionalism, decades ea lie . One
could e en say ha Addo wan ed o ini ia e a con e sa ion abou empa hy and
a chi ec u e, seeing onesel in one o m o ashion in new a chi ec u al o ms on he
con inen .
The con e ence and he con e sa ion be ween Adjaye, Adeyemi, Ke e and Addo
ne e ook place. All ou a chi ec s howe e ha e designed p ojec s on he
con inen ha ha e explo ed he place o empa hy, iden i y, a chi ec u al o m and
c i ical egionalism in di e en locales on he con inen . This pape will now u n o
a chi ec s’ buildings, in a way o e en ini ia e ha missed oppo uni y. In o he
Regionalism, Na ionalism & Mode n A chi ec u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 25-27, 2018
441
wo ds, he p esen a ion will in es iga e how hei commissions ha e eplaced wo ds
some deemed necessa y o u u e deba es abou mode n a chi ec u e in A ica.
Figu e 2: Joe Addo’s House in Ghana buil be ween 2003 and
2004. Sou ce: “Ghana Rising,” an in e ne blog.
(h p://ghana ising.blogspo .com/2011/05/joe-osae-addos-
home-in-acc a-p obably.h ml)
Ou o i e a o emen ioned a chi ec s, Addo’s oeu e cu en ly seems o be he
leas isible o people ou side o Ghana. He s udied and p ac iced a chi ec u e in
Los Angeles in he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica be o e he ese led in Ghana. His
house, which he designed, e lec s an emb ace o some o he open plan p inciples
ad oca ed by F ank Lloyd W igh . I s placemen on he si e also e lec s ano he
key idea he may ha e ob ained du ing his sojou n in Ame ica. A cu so y look a
such a s uc u e’s building ma e ials and loo plans may lea e one asking how
Addo add essed he ques ions o iden i y and empa hy ha his pape seeks o
a gue o . To answe such a e o one should look no u he han a pos colonial
mindse ha p e ails in much o F ancophone and Anglophone Wes A ica. (Ghana
being England’s i s Colony in Wes A ica, de ini ely quali ies as an Anglophone

Adedoyin Te iba, Buildings Ins ead o Discou se. Empa hy and Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes A ica
442
Wes A ican na ion). Tha a i ude is his: Wes A icans a e sophis ica ed
connoisseu s o bo h Wes and Nonwes e n cul u al habi s and no ms. A Ghanaian
con empo a y cul u e does no seek o e u n o some – hey would say – p imi i e
a chi ec u al pas . On he con a y, hese Ghanaians would see hey seek o design
con empo a y a chi ec u e ha bea s he Wes a i s own game. Hence one should
“ ead” o analyze Addo’s building in ha ligh – as his pe spec i e o wha
con empo a y Ghanaian a chi ec u e should look like. One could also apply he
mode o hinking ou lined p e iously o o he decisions ha Ghanaians make on
mode o d ess, choice o music and so on. I is p ecisely he e ha Addo’s choice o
design o his home e lec s a la ge cul u al dynamic in p esen day Ghana –
namely a ques o some Ghanaians o come o e ms wi h who hey a e in he
wen y- i s cen u y.
Figu e 3: Public Lib a y designed by F ancis Ke e in Gando,
Bu kina Faso, unde cons ux ion a he ime. (The p ima y
school complex was buil a e 2001). Sou ce: Image om Ke e
A chi ec u e.
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443
F ancis Ke e on he o he hand, app oaches he same exis en ial ques ions
di e en ly. I Addo’s home e eals a endency o be secula is and appeal o he
Ghanaian in elligen sia as he la e g apple wi h iden i y, Ke e’s wo k in his home
coun y o Bu kina Faso also in Wes A ica emb ace local adi ions o building
p ac ices, communi y and ma e ials. Be o e p oceeding u he howe e , one mo e
hing needs o be said abou Addo’s secula is and in ellec ual one inhe en in his
house. Unlike his esidence, he Akan e hnic g oup ha e had a long las ing
adi ion o using Adink a symbols o deco a e hei emples, esiden ial s uc u es
as well as clo hs ha men wea a ound hei o sos and o e hei shoulde s.
Addo’s decision o disca d ha adi ion is again symp oma ic o his desi e o be
p og essi e. Ke e on he o he hand c ea es a chi ec u e o empa hy ha is qui e
he opposi e. In he p ima y school complex o he illage o Gando in Bu kina
Faso, Ke e u ged he emale illage s o ca y la ge ea hen pos o he cons uc ion
si e; male builde s ecei ed hem and sawed o he lids and used hem as skyligh s
o he ceiling o he public lib a y. Addi ionally, he women ammed he ea h o
he loo s o he school and lib a y o he accompanimen o music. Ke e has
exp essed in nume ous lec u es ha he u ged he women on and ha he likened
himsel as a p ojec manage o a musical conduc o .
This ac i i y and he en i e building p ocess o all o Ke e’s buildings in Bu kina
Faso aps deeply in o adi ions o communal ac i i ies ha unde gi d a ming, boy
and gi l ini ia ions and ce emonies in Bu kina Faso. Ke e did no jus con i e his
building app oach. Ra he his building app oach was a logical angen in o p ac ices
ha we e mo e undamen al o he socio-cul u al ab ic o con empo a y Bu kinabe
socie y. These we e o he o ms ha Ke e emb aced and ans o med. While hey
we e no a chi ec u al o ms pe se, hey had a ela ionship wi h his a chi ec u al
solu ions. On u he con empla ion howe e , one could e en say ha Ke e’s
ad ocacy o hose cen u ies-old p ac ices in o he cons uc ion o he Gando
scheme we e ex a a chi ec u al.
Ke e’s app oach o he ques ions o empa hy and iden i y b ing in o ou discussion
how pe o ma i e o ms need o be inco po a ed in he discou se. Ke e’s s a egy
Adedoyin Te iba, Buildings Ins ead o Discou se. Empa hy and Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes A ica
444
seems o sugges a bo om-up one while Addo’s is a op-down. Ye bo h desc ibe
he many dimensions ha he con e sa ion could ha e aken i all he
a o emen ioned a chi ec s me a alked o one ano he a he Lagos Con e ence.
Kunle Adeyemi also adop ed a humane app oach o his design o he Makoko
Floa ing School in he Makoko i e ine communi y in Lagos, Nige ia ha in ol ed
he ishe men in he communi y who a e mas e di e s. Gi en he amphibious
na u e o he s uc u e, he ishe men’s di ing skills we e indispensable in he
ealiza ion o he p ojec . Makoko is a communi y ha has li ed in he Lagos
Lagoon o cen u ies.
1
Thei ances o s came om p esen -day Benin Republic.
Makoko’s lumbe and wa e logging indus y is also unpa alleled in Nige ia and
emains a dis inc ea u e o he place. (The Thi d Mainland B idge lies abo e and
nex o Makoko, and smoke om he Makoko has engul ed gene a ions o
commu e s on he b idge). Tha lumbe was also he p ima y building ma e ial ha
Adeyemi used o his loa ing school.
Figu e 4: Makoko Floa ing School in Lagos, Nige ia, designed
by Kunle Adeyemi and e ec ed in 2013. Sou ce: NLE WORKS.
1
The Lagos Lagoon is o he sho e o Lagos in Sou hwes Nige ia.
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In 2013, Adeyemi concei ed he p ojec as a solu ion o he need o he Makoko
communi y o a school. While he p ojec ga ne ed accolades and awa ds om he
a ound he wo ld and led o subsequen i e a ions a he Venice and B ussels
Biennales – he p ojec has also been a opic o con e sa ion o go e nmen s who
a e ying o sol e housing a ound he wo ld – he e oo one can lose sigh o he
ways in which his p ojec like he a o emen ioned wo con ibu e o he p esen
discussion o empa hy in he con empo a y a chi ec u e in Wes A ica.
Fi s , he Makoko Floa ing School highligh s he obus social-cul u al ab ic o he
i e ine communi ies ha do Wes A ica and e eals in he inc edible di e si y o
he peoples ha popula e he pa o he con inen . Adeyemi’s design was a cla ion
call, a oice o people pa icula ly in Lagos, who we e a he me cy o he Lagos
S a e Go e nmen . (Fo mo e han 30 yea s, he go e nmen has e ic ed la ge
swa hs o he communi y se e al imes). One only needs o aise he go e nmen ’s
esponse o he Makoko Floa ing School o begin wi h. The go e nmen decla ed
he s uc u e illegal and h ea ened o demolish i . Only when he building s a ed
o ecei e plaudi s om a ound he wo ld did he s a e go e nmen econside i s
posi ion and en e ed in o a dialogue wi h Adeyemi on how he s uc u e could be
eplica ed in Makoko.
Despi e he subsequen collapse o he Makoko School due o he o en ial
downpou ha is so symp oma ic o he opical clima e o Lagos, Adeyemi had
p o en his poin . Mo e impo an ly he had ale ed he wo ld o he pligh o he
Makoko communi y and also e ealed in ano he side, dimension o he ques o
local a chi ec u e o sel -iden i y wi h people o di e en economic le els in a ious
Wes A ican socie ies.
Si Da id Adjaye, Ghanaian a chi ec , who was aised in Tanzania, also designed a
building in Lagos, which opened in 2015. Known as he Ala a Concep S o e, he
s uc u e is a e ail s o e in a pa o Lagos ha is known o i s comme cial ou le s.
This s uc u e’s on açade e eals mo i s in w ough i on ha Adjaye would also