Dossier: development politics information north-south Africa’s Secret Capital of

Association to Promote Education and Journalism on Environment and Development Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward

Can the superlative „Asmara – Africa’s secret capital of modern architecture“ still be topped? There are other well-known sites of early modernist architecture, such as , , Miami South Be- ach, Florida, or Napier in New Zealand. However, the rich collection of early modernist architecture in the city of Asmara, the blending of a variety of modernist styles, the urban comprehensiveness of the historic perimeter, and the almost untouched, yet deteriorated, condition of the buildings is uni- que. Until Naigzy Gebremedhin, Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren published their standard work „Asmara – Africa’s Secret Modernist City“ in 2003, this architectural world heritage was unknown or unrecognised by most historians of architecture. The goal of the Asmara Architecture Exhibition is to preserve this great architectural treasure. Once stable peace and the respect of human rights are 2007 eins I achieved at the , ’s development may benefit from a flourishing tourism. II Dossier Editorial

Dear visitors of the Asmara Architecture Exhibition, rare species, the historical landmarks of antique cultures of the Axumite Empire,Christian churches and monasteries,the Ottoman urban culture On October 2, 2006 the Asmara Architecture Exhibition in Berlin with the port of , the renovated railway from Massawa to took off for a long journey. The exhibit consists of five elements: Asmara, and the architecture of Asmara. – 24 panels elaborated by the Dessau Foundation, Germa- ny, based on the book Asmara – Africa’s Secret Modernist City The exhibition also contributes to the ongoing international debate ab- (Merrell, London and New York, 2003, 240 p.) by Edward Denison, out modernism and the problem of how to deal with the colonial and Guang Yu Ren and Naigzy Gebremedhin fascist heritage, with which the peoples of Africa and the world have – reconstruction models by Prof. Wolfgang Knoll, Stuttgart, to live. Scientific meetings dealing with these issues were held in the Germany course of the exhibitions in Berlin and Frankfurt. These meetings and – the film „City of Dreams“ by Ruby Ofori and Edward Scott, discussions will continue. Eye Level, Washington, D.C., USA and – a collection of pictures by Edward Denison Many people and institutions have supported the Asmara Architecture – copies of children’s submissions to a competition held in Asmara Exhibition, to whom we extend our gratitude. Only a few can be men- in 2004. The competition entries include paintings, poems and tioned here: the patrons Dr Uschi Eid (MP), HE Petros Tseggai Asghedom, short stories celebrating the built heritage of Asmara and created Ambassador of Eritrea, UNESCO, the International Union of Architects by schoolchildren all over Eritrea. (UIA) and the BDA (Federation of German Architects); the curators Naig- zy Gebremedhin and Prof Omar Akbar with his Bauhaus staff, in parti- The exhibition has met with a large response. It has received wide and cular, Rainer Weisbach, and Prof Wolfgang Knoll, our model constructor. often enthusiastic media coverage beyond Germany, praising the „un- In Eritrea we received wide support from government departments, in known treasure in Africa“. Tens of thousands of visitors have seen it at particular the Cultural Asset Rehabilitation Project (CARP) which beca- the German Architecture Centre in Berlin (DAZ), the German Museum me our partner. The main sponsors are the German Ministry of Foreign of Architecture in Frankfurt and the „KAZimKuba“ in Kassel. Further Affairs, GTZ (German agency for technical co-operation), KfW (German confirmed exhibition places will be the Bauhaus Center, Tel Aviv , the Bank for Reconstruction), Africa Verein (German Africa Business Asso- Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), London, the Goethe-Institut ciation), the Goethe-Institut and over 30 private enterprises and persons. (German Cultural Institute) in Cairo, Lagos and Lomé, the Wechselraum Finally, we would like to mention that Listros e.V., an Ethiopian-German BDA in Stuttgart and the 2008 UIA-World-Congress in Turin. Additional cultural organisation, supported us in the initiation and implementa- inquiries have come from Bruxelles, Paris, Rome, Verona, New York,Sao tion of our exhibition. For more information about the exhibition refer Paulo and Tokyo. to our website: www.asmara-architecture.com Mekonnen Mesghena The main aim of the exhibition is to support the Eritrean people and its Chairperson Diaspora all over the world in their endeavours to preserve the Asmara Association to Promote Education and Journalism on Environment architecture as a unique world heritage. This will be a long and costly un- and Development („Verein zur Förderung von Bildung und Publizis- dertaking. Many buildings are in run-down condition requiring an over- tik zu Umwelt und Entwicklung e.V.“) haul and modernisation of facilities including sanitation and electricity. Christoph Melchers An important step in this process will be the recognition of the Asmara Coordinator architecture as a World Heritage by the UNESCO. The huge costs of reno- Asmara Architecture Exhibition Projectgroup vation and preservation can only be met if Asmara architecture can be- come the cornerstone of gainful tourism in Eritrea. The potential is the- Konrad Melchers re. Eritrea offers many attractions, such as the Red Sea, the scenic moun- Editor-in-chief tain region with its year-round pleasant climate, a fauna and flora with eins Entwicklungspolitik

„Eritreans can be proud of Asmara“ – Welcome messages

(mel) A number of important persons have welcomed the exhibi- its isolation. This exhibition also helps to view a country like Er- tion at the vernissage in Berlin and Frankfurt, among them for- itrea from an angle that goes beyond that of the political conflicts mer German federal minister of the environment Juergen Trittin, presented by the media, and acknowledges the broader perspec- minister of culture and science of the federal state Hessen, Udo tives and facets of Eritrea.“ Grolig welcomed the intention of UN- Corts, the president of the International Union of Architects (UIA), ESCO to incorporate Asmara into the list of World Heritages. Gaetan Siew, and the CEO of GTZ, Wolfgang Schmitt. In Berlin, the German ambassador to the UNESCO, Hans-Heinrich Wrede, pres- The former German deputy minister of economic co-operation and ented the greetings of the UNESCO secretary general, Koichiro development and G-8-Sherpa to the chancellor, Dr Uschi Eid, des- Matsuura. The UNESCO chief’s words underscored the „outstan- cribes Asmara as „one of the most beautiful cities of Africa“. In her ding ensemble of modern architecture in the capital of Eritrea, view „Asmara is the secret capital of modernity“ and for her „the which fully warrants the positive multiplier effect released by the exhibition has gained the merit of allowing us to view this coun- impressive presentation of the exhibition. Asmara has an excel- try on the Red Sea differently than what the political and econo- lent chance of becoming listed as a World Heritage.“ mic conditions of the last century have suggested to us.“ Eid un- derlines: „The complex colonial-historical form, in which archi- The director general for culture of the German Foreign Office, Wil- tectural languages combine in Asmara and tell a history full of fried Grolig, stated: „This exhibition about the rich architectural grief as well as of aesthetic tensions, is unique in Africa. Eritreans heritage of Asmara provides a unique opportunity to acquaint the can be proud of it. This architecture, which is important far beyond wider public in Germany with the little known cultural heritage of Africa, should be preserved.“ Eritrea. We hope that the exhibition may help Eritrea to overcome

2007 I e1ns III

Omar Akbar A World Heritage und Naigzy Gebremedhin Asmara – Africa’s Secret Modernist City Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward

Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea, has one of the largest collections of modernist architecture in the world. Within the context of the urban expansion programmes of the 1930s, a unique ensemble of buildings came into being, which, as the Italian interpretation of the International Style, approaches the significance of cities such as Tel Aviv, South Beach (an area of Miami Beach), or New Zealand’s Napier. This African treasure was hidden from public and even from expert view by a variety of histo- rical and political reasons. The liberation of Eritrea in 1991 initiated the rediscovery of the spatial and architectural qualities of the capital city of Asmara, which exemplifies the European town planning of the 20th century. This rediscovery of Modernism in Asmara offers not only the opportunity to obser- ve the urban and architectonic qualities and potentials of the modern European city in an internatio- nal context. Its distinctiveness rightfully prompts a more thorough exploration of the international reception of Modernism characterised by European influences, and its development across the world. e1ns I 2007 IV Dossier Asmara Architecture

he city of Asmara as we know it today de- develop a new form of architecture, which was to veloped from a conglomeration of villages. express the nature of the worldwide progression of T With Italy’s occupation of Eritrea in 1889, it the industrial age. The proposed solutions were grew to become the country’s capital city. The de- highly heterogeneous, moving from the radical re- sign principles and architectural styles were whol- volutionary break with the past to moderate re- ly indebted to European tendencies at the turn of forms. the century. Around the still modest city centre, from 1935, a phenomenal expansion took place, in- From the mid-1920s, the different tendencies in itiated by Mussolini’s imperialist engagement in the New Architecture progressively began to con- East Africa. Asmara was to become the new Rome verge and find unifying criteria in the design of of the „Africa Orientale Italiana“. buildings. In 1932, these tendencies were summa- rised by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip John- son in their legendary book „The International Style“, and became a canon of Classical Moder- nism recognised worldwide.

Up to the middle of the 1920s Italian architecture remained largely uninfluenced by the European avant-garde modernist trend, which had its centres particularly in the Netherlands (), Germany Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward (Bauhaus) and France (Le Corbusier). In 1927, young Milanese architects, known as the Gruppo7, came up with the Italian variant of the avant-garde mo- dern architecture, which was known in Italy as Ra- zionalismo. Initially the group came up with ma- nifestos that were oriented at the theories of ar- chitecture expanded by Le Corbusier (Vers une Ar- chitecture, 1922) and (International Architecture, 1925) and in 1927 they presented their designs at the third International Exposition of Mo- dern Decorative Art in Monza.

At the time of Asmara’s period of growth from the mid 1930s, the young Italian architects faced a we- alth of new, large-scale building projects. By means of Razionalismo, the New Architecture, they made a conscious attempt to distance themselves from Cinema Impero – Art Déco style Between 1935 and 1941, Asmara developed rapidly, the traditions of classical Italian architecture, and Current address in Asmara: and transformed itself from a relatively provincial from the local African architecture. Harnet Avenue 176-21 Street city of the European style into a highly sophistica- Architect: Mario Messina ted metropolis, one of the most modern cities in the City Planning and Urban Design Date: 1937 whole of Africa. The character of its appearance to- day derives from this period. Italian architects de- In the early 1930s, the issue of urban design had signed and built for the needs of the growing city. grown to become the focus of modern architectu- A spectrum of Modernist buildings came into being re and planning. In the view of the international which, on an area of about four square kilometres advocates of the New Architecture, cities had yet to in the town centre, unites the most diverse archi- put into effect the adjustments deemed essential tectonic movements and characteristics of the pe- for the requirements of the machine age. They de- riod. Most of these use the architectural language tected a lack of order in cities worldwide, and saw of the Architettura Razionale, the Italian Moder- the fundamental biological, psychological and hy- nism of the 1920s and 1930s. gienic needs of the residents endangered. Conse- quently, in 1933, at the legendary 4th International In 2001 the Eritrean government, on the initiative Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM) meeting of CARP (Cultural Assets Rehabilitation Project), put on board the passenger steamship Patris during a a preservation order on this special part of Asma- Mediterranean cruise, the „Athens Charter“ for the ra’s historic heritage. Efforts are currently being „functional city“ was formulated. At the core of the made to have the centre of Asmara included on the declaration was the zoning and reorganisation of UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. the city according to the four key functions of li- ving, working, recreation and transport, whereby the transport network was to provide the connec- International Architecture at the beginning tion, and the fluent exchange, between the zones of the 20th century and the surrounding region. At the beginning of the 20th century, young advo- cates, in particular, of the European school of ar- Under Italian rule a number of town plans were chitecture declared war on historicism in order to prepared between 1913 and 1938. The key plan-

2007 I eins Dossier Asmara Architecture V

ners of Asmara were Odoardo Cavangiari (1916), A chest of architectural treasures Vittorio Cafiero (1938) and Guido Ferraza. The ear- and an object of cultural reconciliation ly plans, such as those of Cavagniari had little ideological bias, even when zoning according to racial categories was alluded to and feebly im- Welcome message of Gaetan Siew, Mauritius, President of the plemented. In 1930 the city was divided into four International Union of Architects (UIA) on the occasion of the zones: the indigenous quarter in the north, den- opening of the exhibition on Asmara’s Architecture in Berlin, Ger- sely populated and with irregular structures, the many in October 2006, delivered by the German UIA-delegate diagonal blocks of the industrial zone, the villa Nina Nedeylkov: „Past is past and whether it reminds us of painful quarter of the Europeans and the mixed area memories or not. One can see the worst or the best in our past. We around the marketplace. In this mixed zone ad- – today – are not responsible for our past but for its memory and ministrative and trading facilities equally im- we are certainly responsible for our future and the future of our portant for both population groups were located. children. For some people architectural heritage is represented in Moreover, this zone also housed the central cul- monuments or objects glorifying certain political systems or – in tural institutions, and included a number of this case colonial-periods. That applies to Asmara as it does to any apartments. colonial heritage for instance in India or Latin America. It was con- ceived by others. But for us who live there, it is also part of our his- By 1937, the purpose and objective of urban plan- tory and it is a testimony that one should not forget, for good or for ning changed when Fascit Italy began to adopt bad. It now belongs to us more than to its initiators. As architects, strict and doctrinaire racist policies. One key objec- we have a duty to show to the authorities and to society the value tive became the restriction of residence and work of heritage, its contribution to our future. Let us see in it an object places of Eritreans to designated areas. Already es- of cultural reconciliation. Reconciliation between past and future, tablished Eritrean middle class neighbourhoods reconciliation between people. were dismantled and the people had to move to the smaller area north-west of the present central bu- Welcome message of Charles Majoroh, Nigeria, former president siness district. Cafiero’s plan of 1938, the most ela- of the African union of Architects (AUA): Owing to the construc- borate, outlines the philosophy of racial segregati- tion methods in many parts of pre-colonial Africa, cities were built on, a native quarter away from the Italian town, se- with bio-degradable materials and as a result, several have disap- parated by a mixed commercial and industrial zo- peared or vanished under the impact of time, rain, sun and wind. ne where the more „enlightened“ natives could Many of such cities historically dotted the camel routes of the Sa- interact with the Italians. The native quarter was hara, across the Nile, all the way to the confluence of the Niger and further separated by a „green belt. Benue rivers at the Atlantic. Other periods followed: The theme of the exhibition is emblematic of an urban collage of old and new; There was hardly time to fully implement the Ca- poor and wealthy; war and peace. It is a joy in our time to celebrate fiero plan as the Italians were defeated in 1941, any city that has endured the ravages of war and man made des- but on the whole the current urban face of Asma- truction to come out unscathed like Asmara. Asmara´s outing the- ra still retains the plan of Cafiero. The crowded na- refore – should be quite revealing! For me as an African this effort tive quarter still exists, although not known as a is also a bright moment in the tendency of global negative portray- native quarter nowadays, but still there is a com- als of the heritage and creativity of our continent. One hopes that plete absence of open and public space, or green this is only the beginning, when it is Asmara today that Kinshasa, space. Brazzaville, Harare, Mogadishu and others will follow tomorrow – in a procession of studies of African cities. A huge chest of architec- Architecture tural treasures awaits those, who strive – as you are doing, for As- mara. The expansion of the new capital city as an admi- nistrative and representative centre for the Italian Colony since 1900 meant the architects in Asmara Imprint were confronted by a huge number of building pro- jects. Administrative centres and banks, schools eins Entwicklungspolitik and churches, the post office, theatre and judiciary POB 50 05 50 all required representative buildings. D 60394 Frankfurt/M Germany A form of architecture came into being, which phone: ++49(0)69-58098-138, fax: ++49(0)69-58098-162 e-mail: [email protected], www.entwicklungspolitik.org drew on the proven formal elements of past sty- listic epochs such as the Italian Gothic, the Re- Publisher naissance, Baroque, Romanesque and Classicism. Verein zur Förderung der entwicklungspolitischen Publizistik e.V. Initially, the architecture remained largely histo-

Editors: Dr. Konrad Melchers (editor-in-chief), Dr. Charlotte Schmitz, Dr. Klaus Seitz ricised, and stayed close, in doing so, to the role mo- Assistant: Judith Melzer del of the Italian mother country.

Art directors: Angelika Fritsch, Silke Jarick Most of the representative buildings built in As- mara before 1935 show this historicism clearly. The This dossier is published in co-operation with the „Verein zur Förderung von Bildung und Publizistik zu Umwelt und Entwicklung e.V“, Frankfurt/M (owner of the Asmara Architecture Bank of Eritrea, for example, was constructed in the Exhibition) and supported by the German Foreign Office, Berlin and the Goethe-Institut, neo-Gothic style, the Governor’s Palace and the post Munich. office in the style of neo-Classicism, the University e1ns I 2007 VI

Asmara – A history of courageous women of Asmara in the neo-Baroque style, and the Asma- ra Theatre in the Renaissance style.

For centuries, Eritrea was influenced by the cultu- res and religions of different rulers, from the Egyp- tians and the Ottomans to the Europeans. Over the course of history, these left their traces on the cul- ture and architecture of the country. Today, this coe- xistence of different cultures and religions still has

Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward an impact on the vitality of the city.

From 1900, the intermixture and neighbourhood of diverse formal languages and styles (Syncretism) in combination with local building techniques in- fluenced the architecture of the new capital city of Asmara and, above all, that of its sacred buildings. A specific example of the fusion of styles and techni- ques was the orthodox cathedral Enda Mariam bu- ilt in 1938/39. Elements of the local African building tradition were absorbed into the design of the to- At the place, where Asmara was founded, there used to be four wer roofs, the portal, and the main building. villages. It is said, that these villages were founded around 982 BC. Styles Passing the time of the Old Testament (tigrinya: zämänä orit) they The exhibition „Exposition Internationale des Arts embraced the time of Christ (zämänä krßstos). At the time of the Décoratifs“ held in Paris in 1925 brought to foundation of Asmara plunderers that came from the other side of a wider audience. Art Deco embraces the creative the Red Sea were kidnapping children and stealing cattle. There- alliance of elegant, often geometric forms, new ma- fore the women of the four villages gathered together to discuss terials, bright colours and sensuous themes. Follo- their difficult situation. Thus they spoke:„To be able to protect our- wing the ornate , Art Deco, with its cle- selves we have to ask our men to make us live together on one and ar, linear and functional lines, was in keeping with the same spot. To make our men take us seriously we refuse to ser- the spirit of Modernism. ve them dinner. If they beat us because they don’t get dinner we scream loudly. When we hear one of us screaming, we shall all go The Cinema Impero is one of the most elegant buil- to her and help her screaming. If they still don’t accept our de- dings in Asmara in the Art Deco style and, at the sa- mand, we shall continue refusing to serve them lunch the next me time, a remarkable example of the cinema ar- day!“ chitecture of the 1930s. The tiered interior has an or- ganically curved form. Rows of pillars crowned by After all, on December the 28th or 29th in 1508 the men held a con- lions’ heads separate the auditorium from the ference to discuss the demands of the women. The women said: screen. Stucco motifs of African scenes, dancers, „The reason why our children are being kidnapped, our men being palms and antelopes, which distantly recollect Art killed by robbers and our cattle is being stolen, is because we live Deco, adorn the walls. The décor of the external fa- dispersed in several places. In order to be able to defend ourselves çade, on the other hand, incorporates elements of from our enemy we need to build one big village and live closer to- technical aesthetics. gether“. The conference lasted for a whole day. Finally all men agreed upon accepting the women’s demands with one voice and By 1921, a truly Italian modern style had emerged decided upon a name for the newly united town: „Since our wo- in the guise of Novecento of which the leading ex- men have succeeded in uniting our four villages the name shall be ponent was Giovanni Muzio. His ‘Ca Bruta’, (ugly a memorandum of their success. We therefore have decided to na- house), built in 1922 in Milan became the centre me our new village Arbatä Asmära.“ Which means: they (the wo- for Novecento architecture, indisputably the first men) united the four. sign of modern architectural taste. As a commit- Yisehak Yosief ment to an Italian identity, Novecento invoked a more recent reference to the formal vocabulary of Source: Yisehak Yosiefs „The Story of Asmära“, Asmara 1993. Translated from Italian Classicism and Neo Classicism and used Tigrinya by Freweyni Habtemariam, Dipl. Germanist and Anglicist, lecturer for simplified classical forms and ornamentation, mo- Tigrinya at the Free University Berlin, freelance interpreter and translater. dulated surface decoration and raised or sunken (c) [email protected] panelling to imitate traditional Italian Architec- ture.

Asymmetrical construction and a consciously frag- mentary composition distinguish the Novecento from the to date familiar Eclecticism. Windows, ni- ches, panels and other incisions in the façade ap- pear as exact forms in sharp relief. Although the fa-

2007 I e1ns Dossier Asmara Architecture VII

çades feature familiar classical decorations, these ola Romana were characterised by divergent formal are nevertheless strongly abstracted. languages. Nevertheless, to varying degrees each group in its own way invariably claimed, with re- In the late 1930s, during Asmara’s period of growth, ference to ancient Rome, to create a new national a number of the buildings constructed bore the ty- style. With Mussolini’s takeover in 1922, the state’s pical stylistic trademarks of the Novecento. The desire for a significant image to represent a glorious form of the medieval fortification, for example, the Italy received a new dimension. This issue was re- classical arrangement of façades or, as in the case solved in the second half of the 1930s. Under the ae- of the Palazzo Gheresadik, the surrounding buil- gis of the traditionalist Scuola Romana, aspects of dings, the arcades and arched windows of the mar- each individual movement came together in the so- ketplace and mosque were all adapted. called Monumentalismo.

In 1927, young Milanese architects came up with the Italian variant of the avant-garde modern ar- chitecture, which was known in Italy as Raziona- lismo. This movement began to rival the Novecen- to and the traditionalists of the Scuola Romana. Ra- zionalismo combined an artistic concept, which, first and foremost, incorporated a new understan- ding of spatial concepts, with the application of Denison Photo: Edward contemporary scientific insights into, among other things, technology and hygiene. Architecture was to evolve from the analysis of its functions and its everyday usage. The formal language thereby re- ferred to basic geometric elements such as spheres, cuboids, cylinders, cubes and pyramids.

A large number of buildings in Asmara follow this architectonic tenor: The Palazzo Mutton – original- ly designed as a six-storey building – is, with its interlocking of cylindrical and cubic forms, almost bizarrely modernistic. Equally noteworthy is the Ci- ty Sanitation Office, the administrative building of the municipal utility and waste disposal provider. In the entry area, vertical and horizontal lines com- bine to form a striking alliance with the circular awning. With its clear structure, plasticity and co- louring Selam Hotel is the most brilliant example of rationalist architecture in Asmara.

Futurism, with its vigorous references to the chan- Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward ges wrought by modern industry and technology, held one of the most radical artistic positions. The speed of machine-powered vehicles and violence, destruction and war were glorified as breaks with tradition. In architecture, the designs of, most no- tably, Antonio Sant’Elia came to be influential in and beyond Italy. These focused on factories and multi-storey apartment blocks, whose formal lang- uage was directly derived from the world of ma- chines.

In Asmara, the Fiat Tagliero service station, desi- gned by Giuseppe Pettazzi and built in 1938, is the most impressive example of the influences of this movement. With its 30 metre-long freestanding concrete cantilever roof, it not only echoes the de- sign of an aircraft – the machine most admired by Enda Mariam Orthodox Cathedral – eclectic style the Futurists – but also symbolises the innovative Original Name: Biet Christian, Current address: Arbate Asmara Street confidence of Italian technologies and businesses Architect: E. Gallo, Date: 1920 in the international context. State Palace – neo-classical style In the 1920s, the Italian architectural scene was dee- Current address: Denden Street ply divided. The most significant movements of Fu- Architect: unknown, turismo, Razionalismo, the Novecento and the Scu- Date: 1889-1921 e1ns I 2007 VIII Dossier Asmara Architecture Photo: Edward Denison Photo: Edward

In Asmara, the Casa del Fascio building is the clea- When the British military administration took rest example of this transition in Italian architec- control in 1941, their preoccupation was the war in ture. The frontage was erected in 1940 as an Europe. Architecture and urban planning issues in amendment to the rather modest headquarters of Eritrea were not as critical as fighting the Nazis. the fascist party lying behind it, which was built in From an architectural perspective, the period of 1928 – a strategy, which testifies to a politically de- the British Administration was marked primarily monstrative motivation rather than to practical by the reversion to styles more traditional than necessity. the bold rationalism that had characterised the Fiat Tagliero Service Station – late 1930’s. Futurist style. The construction of Critical Issues for Asmaras Architecture the Nakfa House (small picture Eritrea was federated with in 1952 under above) in 1995 caused a wake up The end of Italian rule brought Asmara’s rapid a United Nations agreement and annexed by call for the concerned growth to a standstill. With the invasion of the uni- Ethiopia in 1962. Its status as a federated state was public to protect the cultural ted British and Ethiopian forces in April 1941, the Ita- suspended, and Eritrea was assimilated as one of heritage of Asmara. lian engineers and architects withdrew. They left be- the 14 provinces of Ethiopia. Asmara lost its role as Current address: Mereb Street/ hind, as the British Ministry for Information repor- a capital city – a role regained on 24th May 1991 Sematat Avenue ted in 1941, „a European city with wide boulevards, with the liberation of Eritrea from the Ethiopian Architect: Guiseppe Pettazzi fantastic cinemas, imposing fascistic buildings, annexation. Date: 1938 cafés, stores, two-lane streets and a first class hotel“.

left: modernist villa Current use: World Bank office Architect: unknown, Date: unknown

right: Selam Hotel – Rationalist style Fotos: Edward Denison Edward Fotos: Original name: Albergo CIAAO (Compagnia Immobiliare Alberghi Africa Orientale), Current address: Mariam Gimbi Street Architect: Rinaldo Borgnino Date: 1937

2007 I e1ns Dossier Asmara Architecture IX

The intervening period was marked by a 30 year- long liberation war. This war caused extensive de- vastation in both Eritrea and Ethiopia. Asmara, ho- wever, survived this period relatively unscathed. The beauty of Asmara’s buildings convey the ima- ge of modernity despite peeling paint, falling plas- ter or unhinged shutters. Denison Photo: Edward

Since independence Asmara has grown rapidly ex- tending its coverage over a wide area of the hinter- land. Migration, the new functions as a capital city and investment changed the city. Fortunately As- mara’s expansion has not followed the pattern of other African cities where slums and squatter sett- lements prevail. Asmara’s growth has been relati- vely controlled. However, major challenges remain, most important is the provision of adequate water and sewage for all.

The issue of rebuilding after independence and de- cades of foreign rule when nothing happened, has infused all Eritreans with the hope of future deve- lopment. While facing the problems of urban plan- ning there is growing concern that this world-re- nowned centre of early twentieth-century archi- Palazzo Gheresadik – Novecento style tecture should be preserved by all means. Original name: Palazzo Gheresadik, Current address: Nakfa Avenue/Ad Ebrihim An incident of 1996 illustrates perfectly the deter- Architect: Carlo Marchi mined and liberal attitude of Eritreans: The German Date: 1938 architectural firm commissioned to design the new headquarters of the National Bank of Eritrea sug- gested that the most prestigious location for the bu- to preserve this exceptional heritage for the bene- ilding was the site in front of the Catholic Cathe- fit of its own population and for present and futu- dral. A grotesque fourteen-storey glass building re visitors. At the same time there is an increased with numerous smaller structures around it occu- awareness of the need to ensure further develop- pying four blocks of historic Asmara was proposed. ment. Thus in 1997, the State of Eritrea invited The The central building was to be the tallest in the ci- World Bank to collaborate with it in formulating a Dr. Omar Akbar, ty, towering over the campanile of the Cathedral. strategy for preservation of Asmara’s architectural born in Kabul, Afghanistan, director and Before the bank could be constructed the building heritage. In the sequel an extensive inventory of the president of the Bauhaus Dessau Foun- occupying the site, the notorious former Italian pri- architecture of Asmara was undertaken. In this con- dation, Germany, professor for theory of architecture and townplanning, son „Caserna Mussolini“, would have to be demo- text the cultural assets rehabilitation program University Anhalt, Dessau. lished. When the plans for this move were made (CARP) was established to coordinate preservation public, a group of Eritreans, mainly former inmates, and rehabilitation of cultural assets, especially ar- protested vehemently and successfully against the chitectural assets. Furthermore the process to re- destruction of the prison building. gister Asmara as a modern heritage site under the rules of UNESCO was initiated. However another construction project was put in- to pratice: When the colossus called Nakfa House In 2001 a historic perimeter in Asmara was estab- rose at the Southern end of Sematat Avenue, dwar- lished, encircling an area of about four square kilo- fing that icon of Asmara’s modernist architecture – metres of 4% of the total area of the city. This area Fiat Tagliero – the people of Asmara, began to feel contains the city’s historic centre and the majority the horror of something that was going terribly of its historically significant buildings that need wrong. The Nakfa House did not only desecrate Fi- protection from unwarranted modification. The go- Naigzy Gebremedhin at Tagliero, that fine example of modernist archi- vernment promulgated a moratorium on new bu- born in Addis Ababa, founder and first tecture; it reduced the area around it to a mean and ildings or modifications of old buildings in the his- director (1998-2004) of the Cultural disorienting small space. There were several other toric perimeter until new guidelines and regula- Assets Rehabilitation Project of Eritrea (CARP), founder and first director of the buildings (Nyala Hotel, The Red Sea Corporation Bu- tions have been finalised. The guidelines and regu- Eritrean Environment Agency ilding, etc) that upset the delicate qualities of As- lations will establish stringent criteria that aim to (1994-1998) , 1976-1994 director of the mara’s Modernist Architecture, but the building of ensure that the integrity, harmony and scale of As- division for the built environment, Nakfa house provided the wake-up call. mara’s unique urban environment are. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi, 1957-65 professor of architecture Preservation and building science, dean of the faculty of building, Haile Selassie I University, The government and people of Eritrea have realised Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. the special character of Asmara and are determined e1ns I 2007 X Dossier Asmara Architecture

In the modern context The adaptation of the colonial architecture in Asmara

Omar Akbar This quest for a universalism in conquered, focusing rather on cultures, religions, population visual media, and for an art and how they could implement and groups and ethnic groups live In Asmara, Classical European design that was to be „fit for the manifest their rule. They built side by side. Modernism is re-contextualized whole world“ (Piet Mondrian) themselves their own world in Post-colonial and grounded in the postcolonial eventually also affected the ar- accordance with their notions of re-contextualization culture of independent Eritrea. chitects. In the terms of a radical life, their aspirations and their architectonic Modernism, not values. This applies also to the ci- By means of the residents’ confi- Many of the artists and archi- only buildings, their rooms and ty centre of Asmara - built in the dent appropriation and autono- tects of Classical Modernism we- interior design, but also ultima- 1930s, as is generally known, un- mous re-interpretation, the Mo- re convinced that culture could tely whole cities, were to be de- der Italian colonial rule. This city dernist buildings have been inte- only be something international veloped according to a single centre is particular. Here, a fas- grated into the context of the ci- - something global. One central principle of design. The distant cist society, which also introdu- ty. This implied emancipation ambition and motivation of the goal was nothing less than a ced a policy of racial segregation, from the manifestations of the avant-garde in modern art and newly configured world. Even if emerged to contribute to the ar- former colonial rule in favour of architecture was the conquest of, this utopia incorporated hopes of chitectural language of Classical an independent way of thinking and the imposition of discipline emancipation, this vision also and European Modernism. focused on both progress and de- on, chaotic conditions. The end has, without a doubt, tyrannical velopment. Without this post-co- goal was a universal reorganisa- and imperial features. While architectonic Modernism lonial re-contextualisation, the tion of all forms and structures. in Europe is generally viewed as current debate on the preserva- It was to comply with the indus- Classical Modernism in architec- an emancipatory movement, tion and maintenance of these trial society’s principles of ratio- ture and urban development ig- and as a move towards social buildings would be inconceiva- nality and efficiency, and clai- nored, where the building ow- equality in an industrial society, ble. med international, global validi- ners provided it with the oppor- in Asmara, the modern architec- ty. At the same time, the new tunity - that means where the ture stood as a model, and as an In that Asmara „assimilated“ this world, characterised by moder- balance of power permitted it - instrument, of a modernisation Modernism, the buildings were nity, was to also advance social the existing urban context. It ig- of the colony in terms of subju- given a context, which was fo- equality and, by means of indus- nored the fact that each city, gation. reign to the canon of Classical trial mass production, provide a firstly by means of its geogra- Modernism. In this, they offer higher standard of living. phical location and climatic con- The ensemble of modern buil- the opportunity for a discourse ditions, and above all by means dings erected in Asmara during on Modernism, which establis- Fit for the whole world of its particular cultural and so- the colonial expansion of the city hes a counterpoint to the Euro- At the same time, allied with this cial structures, generates a speci- therefore presented a huge chal- centric reading, which still domi- imagined, universal new world fic context for its spatial organi- lenge for the existing urban con- nates today. was the negation of local con- sation. text. These public and private bu- texts in favour of timeless and ildings utilising the different sty- These Modernist buildings are „placeness“ principles. The decli- This framework determines ur- les of architectonic Modernism no longer mere testimonials to ne of national formal traditions ban development and the local were, in essence, an antithesis to the ambivalence inherent to Eu- was therefore to be offset by a and regional identity, albeit wi- the settlement structures in exis- ropean Modernism, but, equally, new, timeless, universalism. The thout being static. Cities per se tence up to that point. This form testimonials to an intercultural new, radical modern design, in are places for interexchange, and of Modernism was an attack on history of transformation, which its aspirations to global validity, act as intersections for a variety the urban context, which had de- has much to do with the critical had neither regard for national, of affiliations and networks. The veloped over centuries. This was and productive negotiation of regional or local contexts, nor did interplay of local and remote in- not only to manifest the colonial differences. Not least because of it allow itself to be influenced by fluences, the capacity to absorb power’s aspirations for order in this, the specific configuration of these. outsiders, the openness to new spatial terms, but also, at the sa- Modernism in Asmara - as an in- ideas and to new concepts of me time, to represent their do- valuable Potenzial for urban pro- This stance was above all parti- images and form, are essential minance over the local culture. gress - is open to development. cularly characteristic of Europe- constituents of the urban cha- an avant-garde art. Many artists racter. In an ideal case, the city it- That this massive colonial re- In Asmara, Classical European such as, for example, Wassily self would press ahead with, gui- construction of the city centre Modernism was - beyond its ori- Kandinsky or Paul Klee, who al- de and promote the integration did not lead, at the end of the ginal programmes and systems so taught at the Bauhaus in the and transformation of foreign in- period of colonisation, to the of representation - ultimately 1920s, laboured in their pain- fluences. That this, however, is destruction of its modern archi- contextualised, made relative tings to surmount the natural the exception to the rule is tecture is another peculiarity, or and in the end grounded locally and individual reality in order shown, for example, by the cen- characteristic, of Asmara’s. As in a very pragmatic way. In this to identify universally valid, turies-old history of colonisation. the Eritrean population came to sense, Classical Modernism is no fundamental, formal laws. The adopt these buildings over time, longer out of the modern con- vision was of an art that, as „to- Colonial heritage and accept them as part of their text. tal design“, would pass over in- architectonic inheritance, a uni- to all aspects of the lives of the The colonisers paid little atten- que „City of Modernism“ could people. tion to the urban context they develop where today different

2007 I e1ns Dossier Asmara Architecture XI The historical context of the Asmara Architecture eins Entwicklungspolitik 2-3-2007 published a controversy on the Naigzy Gebremedhin and his co-author of the book Asmara – historical reference presented in the Asmara architecture exhibi- Africa’s secret modernist city, Edward Denison, as well as the tion. Raimund Rütten, Emeritus Professor for Ro- Italian architect Anna Godino defend the appro- mance Languages at the Goethe University ach of the exhibition. The following texts are Frankfurt/Main, strongly criticizes the exhibit, –> <– shortened versions of the originals. Editors Debate

material for art buildings for the entirely. Consequently, this ren- Futurism on Italian Futurism does not apartheid regime at a height of ders what could have been a va- blood-soaked ground equal Fascism more than 2000 meters. luable critique a tirade blinded Prof. Raimund Rütten: I was qui- by personal disdain for past Anna Godio: It is not possible to te upset and shocked about what atrocities which are not condo- minimize the contributions of fu- was presented about Asmara in ned by anyone, least of all those turism to the modern culture. Fu- Eritreans don’t harbour the Architecture Museum: how that have expended so much ti- turism arose as part of the gene- quarrel with the inherited could it come to such thought- me, energy and effort to realise ral artistic ferment that charact- buildings lessness and such unprecedent- this exhibition. erized the intellectual life of Euro- ed absence of historical aware- Naigzy Gebremedhin: Why pre- pe, and particularly France, in the ness? I think about the imperial serve the architecture of Asma- It is vital that while we must ne- period before 1914. The connection megalomania of fascist Italy and ra? It certainly is not to extol the ver forget the depths to which between Italian futurism and fas- its forced colony Eritrea, at least virtues of Italian colonialism. mankind can plunge, this exhi- cism is well known, but we can- since the thirties gateway for the The architecture of Asmara is bition is evidence of a deeper not say that the two things are war of aggression and conquest being preserved because it cele- consideration of this subject in the same, or that the relation bet- of the fascists against Abessinia, brates the labour of thousands of the context of Eritrea than Prof. ween them is direct and automa- being subjugated to its overseas Eritreans. Eritreans have appro- Ruetten has given to it, and, as tic. On the contrary, the develop- territory; about the bombard- priated, completely and unequi- such, while I share his patent dis- ment of art, literature and music ments from the air, about the vocally the colonial architecture gust for fascism, I also see the follows its own immanent and technologically superior air for- in their capital city. This appro- need to examine such histories specific laws. The development of ce, about the large-scale use of priation has never implied mini- objectively so that we might le- art and politics forms two entire- poisonous gas against the civili- mization of the evils committed arn from them and progress, per- ly separate lines, with their own an population in Abessinia; etc. by Fascist Italy in Eritrea. Eritre- sonally and collectively, rather determining features, turning po- ans will never forget the humili- than be so blinded by hatred that ints, complex relations and revo- How does it come to pass that fru- ation or the excesses of racial dis- we cause history’s pendulum to lutions. its are only harvested as an ex- crimination. But they no longer swing in the other direction. pression of presumed civilization harbour any quarrel with the bu- Futurism and fascism had some and culture, when in reality these ildings that have survived. They If Eritreans, as I would argue, ha- common aspects: the blind acti- fruits arise from a superficially fu- refuse to be drowned into self pi- ve successfully adopted Asmara vism, the irrationalism, but also turistic blood-soaked ground, pro- ty and endless recrimination as and reinvented this ‘life space’ in remarkable differences: the sta- ducts of the barbarism of civiliza- regards the past history of these their own manner, then who are te-worship and the fascist hier- tion, of the horror and unease wit- buildings. Wisely, they are deter- we, as foreigners, to argue archy against the general anar- hin the culture? Asmara is the re- mined to put them to good use. against such a bold and mature chy of futurism. The rapid rise of sult of the fascist politics of colo- The exhibition simply contribu- stance because of a guilt com- industry and the widespread ap- nization, designed only for the Ita- tes to this wise decision. It does plex brought on ourselves by the plication of new technology cap- lian colonists. The ideas of mega- not extol racism. It is an exhibi- inexcusable behaviour of our fo- tured the imagination of the lomania, war enthusiasm and of tion about architecture that sur- refathers? new generation of artists who re- the omnipotence of a technologi- vived against all odds. jected the conventionalism of cal power, as distinguishable wit- Prof. Ruetten’s remarks ignore the Academy. The cult of the ma- hin the futurist movement and the over-riding premise of this chine was central to futurism. The mature stance of avant-garde were useful to fas- exhibition: architectural heritage. Cubism had already started to re- Eritreans should cism and its imperial claim of If we are to support the argu- present reality as a series of geo- not be insulted rule over the Horn of Africa. ment that the tangible legacies metrical forms. Futurism took Edward Denison: Prof. Ruetten’s of past regimes are to be reviled, this one step further, elevating In no way should the fascination critique raises many valuable is- the natural conclusion leads to the straight lines and streamli- attributed to the architecture of sues, most of which cannot be the erasure of such legacies. As- ned forms of industry to a new the city center of Asmara be de- denied by any civilized person, mara is revered by Eritreans. In form of art nied; but, this fascination cannot the premise of this commenta- my opinion, Eritrea’s love for its lead to a blending out of the ry seems to have misunder- capital is unrivalled in Africa, mass murder, racism, and tortu- stood, or rather misinterpreted, and this is evidenced in the be- re of those who had to heave the the subject of the exhibition auty of the city’s character. e1ns I 2007 EXHIBIT SPONSORED BY VS VS International P.O. Box 1420 D-97941 Tauberbischofsheim Germany www.vs-furniture.com