Buildings Instead of Discourse. Empathy and Modern Architecture in West Africa
Abstract
The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a silent and unabated trend among architects in Africa to create architecture that reflected their modern identities and changing political situations. Modern nations states emerged, unhooked from European colonial masters. Architects reacted to the new post-colonial situations of these new nations by creating buildings that embodied their feelings about who modern Africans were and what they could own. In other words, these designers erected structures that they wanted to empathize with. Nonetheless such efforts were not coordinated on a continental scale and hence occurred in fits and starts, owing partly to the hegemonic power of the International Style to be applied to municipal and educational buildings on the continent. That was to change with ArchiAfrika, an African not-for-profit organization that organizes conferences to discuss the future of architecture in Africa. It decided to convene another meeting in 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria. The occasion was to mark the first time that architects such as Sir David Adjaye, Kunle Adeyemi, Francis Kere and the founder of ArchiAfrika, a Ghanaian named Joseph Addo, would participate in a panel discussion about what forms the built environment should take in the twenty-first century. All four architects have continued to create architecture on the continent that has explored the place of empathy, identity, architectural form and critical regionalism on the continent. A forerunner was the Nigerian artist turned architect, Demas Nwoko who has largely remained unknown in other parts of Africa, not to mention the Western world. This paper will explore how some of their buildings (including Nwoko) have contributed to a discourse that has not taken place in a conference setting. In other words, the presentation will investigate how their commissions have replaced words some deemed necessary for future debates about modern architecture in Africa.
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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
Adedoyin Te iba, Buildings Ins ead o Discou se. Empa hy and Mode n A chi ec u e in Wes A ica
438
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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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
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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
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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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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
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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