Visionary Africa: ART & Architecture at WORK

a Visionary Africa: Art & Architecture at Work

Published by European Commission and Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR)

Design § layout Studio Luc Derycke, Gent, Belgium Visionary Printed European Commission, April 2013

First edition (Art at Work) Africa: November 2010 Second Edition (Art at Work) January 2012 Third Edition (Art & Architecture at Work) April 2013 ART&

Special thanks Joe Osae Addo, ArchiAfrika, Accra Dounia Benslimane, Fabrique culturelle des abattoirs, Casablanca Architecture Marilyn Douala Bell, Doual’art, Douala Billy Kahora, Kwani Trust, Nairobi Francis Kéré, Kéré architecture, Berlin Joy M’Boya, GoDown Arts Centre, Nairobi Thomas Melin, UN Habitat, Nairobi at WORK Simon Njami, independent curator, Paris Berend Van der Lans, African Architecture Matters, Amsterdam Heinrich Wolff, Wolff Architects (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

b TRAVEL LOG TABLE OF CONTENTS

Art § Architecture at Work originates from Art at Work (2011-2012), an itinerant urban platform. José Manuel Barroso, European Commission 4 ...... Art and Architecture: Essential drivers of inclusive and sustainable April 15 – 19, 2013 urban development — Nairobi 24th UN Habitat Governing Council Meeting Thomas Melin, UN Habitat Side conference and exhibit ‘Art § Architecture 5 ...... Rejuvenating urban cultures through public space at work in urban Africa’

• Cairo Paul Dujardin, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR) § Simon Njami, Paris September 18 – October 16, 2012 6 ...... Art and architecture for a new social design — Kampala Railway Station Gardens Local exhibition ‘Routes and Traces’ Berend van der Lans, African Architecture Matters, Amsterdam Curated by Makerere Art Gallery 8 ...... Best practices in culture-based urban development (Katrin Peter-Klaphake § Margaret Nagawa) Artist in residence: Freddy Tsimba (DRC) Ouagadougou • Regional conference: ‘How Art and Architecture • Addis-Ababa Nai Ni Who ? (Who is Nairobi ?): Collective vision development – can make city development inclusive and sustainable’ GoDown Arts Centre, Nairobi, Kenya with keynote address by David Adjaye • Kampala 10 ...... The art centre as driver for inclusive urban change • Nairobi July 12 – 30, 2012 Bujumbura • — Bujumbura ‘The expansion of freedom’ – Heinrich Wolff, Cape Town, South Africa Palace of Arts and Culture Exhibit ‘A Useful Dream’ 13 ...... The architect and his position as enabler Curated by Simon Njami • Harare Making Douala – Doual’art, Cameroon May 24 – July 2, 2012 19 ...... Artists as drivers for sustainable urban change — Harare National Gallery of Zimbabwe Gardens Local exhibition ‘Images of Zimbabwe Cultural factory of the former abattoirs, Hay Mohammadi – are our narratives’ ‘Le Collectif des abattoirs’, Casablanca, Morocco Curated by National Gallery of Zimbabwe (Raphael Chikukwa) 25 ...... Industrial heritage as driver for social, cultural and economic development February 15 – March 8, 2012 — Cairo Al Azhar Park Sustainable design for education, culture and development Local exhibition ‘Revolution at Work’ in Burkina Faso and Mali – Diébédo Francis Kéré, Berlin, Germany Curated by DARB 1718 (Moataz Nasr) 29 ...... The architect and his position as innovator Artist in residence: Tracey Rose (S. Africa) Kwani? literary journal, Nairobi, Kenya January 25 – February 15, 2012 33 ...... The writer and his reflections on the city — Addis Ababa African Union Local exhibition ‘Face 2 Face’ 35 ...... Artists and architects for urban resonance: dream, inclusiveness Curated by The Atelier (Leo Lefort) ‘Not every show merits a standing ovation, but the and creativity for urban welfare Artist in residence: Bili Bidjocka (Cameroon) display of historic photographs of Africa at the precise moment in the 1950s and 1960s when African spirits February 18 – March 9 2011 38 ...... African architecture networks § expertise centres were high and aspirations were on the ascendant’. — Ouagadougou ‘African artists are called upon to play their role to Place de la Nation 39 ...... Arts, architecture and urban expansion in Africa: Snapshots Exhibitions ‘A Useful Dream’ § ‘Urban Africa’ the full’. Curated by Simon Njami and David Adjaye Gamal Nkrumah, Al Ahram Weekly, Artist in residence: Theo Eshetu (Ethiopia) Cairo, March 2012. 42 ...... About Art at Work 2 3 Art and Architecture: Rejuvenating urban Essential drivers cultures through of inclusive and public space sustainable urban development Creating a positive culture is important to city culture. Public spaces are areas that are cities – directly inspiring their economic, open and accessible to all citizens, regard- social and ecological development. Today, less of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio- more than 50 percent of the world’s popula- economic level. They include commonly The Africa-European Union strategic partner- We also salute the leadership of UN Habitat tion lives in urban areas and it is estimated recognized places, such as parks, squares, ship goes beyond politics, diplomacy and eco- for mobilizing resources in this field, and for that 90 percent of the world’s urban popula- plazas and historic districts, but also streets nomic ties. It is a platform through which the focusing in particular on youth and gender tion growth between now and 2030 will take and roads that provide for pedestrian access European Union is reaching out to citizens at opportunities in urban development. We also place in developing countries. and commercial places, such as markets. large. Culture is one of the particular priori- welcome the many creative initiatives of cities, As cities grow, their culture is often By taking a public space approach, officials ties of the Africa-EU partnership. It is not communities, architects, and art centres who, transformed due to the changing urban can create an environment where citizens just an essential element that enriches and alongside national efforts advocate for a strong population. On the one hand, this can have a have the ability to meet, discuss and influ- enlightens us as such, but also a key driver culture-based vision in urban planning, engi- positive effect on city development, bringing ence the way cities are planned and run. In of democracy, governance and human rights, neering and the provision of basic services, for in new ideas and approaches, but this can this way, they can engage the population and values which we share and aim to reinforce. all of which Art at Work has been an incuba- also dilute the authenticity of already existing influence the organization of their city in a Visionary Africa: Art at Work is an tor. This local creativity is key for solving the urban cultures. For example, in Africa, manner in which culture can develop organi- important instrument of this cultural issues we face. urban growth is often accompanied by over- cally – creating livable cities with people at partnership. Supported by the European All these initiatives show that culture crowding, lack of services, poor governance the center of them. Commission, it is an open exhibition travel- reaches across disciplines and borders. Cul- and a failure to meet the needs of the poor. ling through the public spaces of African ture, and in particular art and architecture, Policies, planning and design solutions must Thomas Melin capitals. This laudable project thus engages will remain key tools as we seek a better, be carefully applied to avoid these negative Head, External Relations Office, directly with local communities and policy- inclusive and sustainable future together effects. UN Habitat makers. It encourages reflection on the with our African partners and friends. People, both citizens and elected officials, critical role of artists in civil society, and the are the drivers of change. Elected officials responsibility of architects and urban plan- José Manuel Barroso need to specifically consider how urban ners in creating and safeguarding culture- President of the European Commission planning affects people living in cities. Arts based urban spaces for their citizens. and cultural spaces are important to cities’ More specifically,Art at Work, in its development and planners and administra- latest focus (Art § Architecture), highlights tors need to take this into account. the new nature of urban planning challenges UN-Habitat aims to improve policies, faced by African capitals. plans and designs for more compact, socially Africa’s unprecedented urban growth and inclusive, better integrated and connected the rise of its colourful metropolises directly cities that foster sustainable urban develop- impacts on the continent’s path of social and ment and are resilient to climate change, at economic development and its sustainability. the city, regional and national levels. The European Commission is already work- UN-Habitat considers public spaces ing on those challenges, together with its that place citizens at the centre of cities as An overview of Nairobi city, Kenya 2012© Julius partners in Africa. Calvin Dondo (Zimbabwe), from the series Harare a key driver to developing well-functioning Mwelu-UN-HABITAT Streets, 2000. © Calvin Dondo 4 5 become the places where a specific aesthetic Public architecture puts similar expecta- Art and architecture is created, expressed not in monuments or tions on the architect. ‘Communities need concrete instruments, but in the primary empowering buildings’ says architect David immateriality that has always been Africa’s Adjaye. ‘The primary act of public architec- for a new social secret, and according to the logic of a complex ture is to create spaces that are socially edi- architecture that pervades African society in a fying and socially liberating – using design design very subtle and sophisticated manner. In the excellence as a social force that makes good’. context of social design, art and architecture This is why social design should not be have a special role to play. As citizens, the art- a State or individual project, but a collective For a number of years now culture has been Social design is therefore a tool that ist depicts and questions the people’s moods and participatory one, served well by artists recognized as an essential part of any develop- makes living easier in a society. It concerns in a personal manner and without mediation, and architects. This brochure therefore ment policy. The 2009 Declaration of Brus- itself with the masses and the people wherein and the architect interprets imagined and presents a number of exemplary inclusive sels1 in particular has greatly enhanced this uniqueness can only be achieved through necessary places for living together. practices from various actors on the conti- argument. It inspired the 2010 multidiscipli- more global and more philosophical ways, as Public art has stemmed from an acknow­ nent – contemporary artists, architects, art nary platform Visionary Africa which proposed French philosopher Jacques Rancière states ledgment of the artist’s role in society. Often centres, networks, writers – who all work a new independent and contemporary vision of in his definition of thedistribution of the it follows from an evolution that is not neces- towards the ‘Us’ and dream of a better city African art at the Centre for Fine Arts of Brus- sensible: ‘The way we organize our percep- sarily linked to vital needs, but rather is the life, based on local assets. sels. Art at Work2, the extension of this project tion of the world within a given space, we re- result of an intellectual process. As Jacques in Africa, was more than an exhibition device: late a sensible experience to intelligible ways Rancière states: ‘Some wish that art should Paul Dujardin, CEO, The Centre it was an urban exercise involving local artistic of interpretation3.’ Social design challenges commemorate the horrors of the century in for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR) creation as a vector of transformation and all local actors – architects, urban planners, an indelible form. Others want it to help to- Simon Njami social cohesion. And in this regard, it demon­ artists, historians, sociologists, authorities, day’s men to understand each other within Independent curator strated concretely how culture contributes cultural managers, and citizens – and shapes the diversity of their cultures. Others again to sustainable development by being closely the administration of the city. Public art and explain that art today produces – or must 1. The Declaration of Brussels emanates from the associated with its three pillars – social, public buildings in public spaces are key. produce – not so much works for art lovers international colloquium ‘Culture and Creativity: economic and environmental. Public space is a privileged area where but new forms of social relations for all’. But factors of development’, organized by the European Amongst the many questions stirring citizens can interact towards an efficiency that ‘the artist’, says Rancière, ‘is a citizen like Commission in 2009 under the Belgian presidency the world, one of the most crucial ones is fluidifies mutual relations and optimizes the any other and his role in society does not go of the Council of the European Union. 2. Art at Work (see back of booklet) that of better living together, a matter tools the State puts at the citizens’ disposal. beyond that of a smith or a dentist, each of 3. Jacques Rancière, Et tant pis pour les gens which German philosopher Ernst Bloch has The public domain is the space that structures them having their part to play, each one in fatigués, Entretiens. Paris: Editions Amsterdam, labeled ‘the absolute question, the issue of communities, and in Africa it is shaped very his own domain’. 2009. the Us’. What is culture’s contribution to differently in the city from the countryside. this debate? How can culture foster sustain- Whereas African rural areas are arranged or- able inclusiveness in urban environments? ganically, with social mechanisms constructed It is our opinion that artists and architects, by ordinary people, it is the political powers through their commitment to and investment that structure the cities, those strategic places in public art and public spaces, contribute from which the entire country is organized. significantly to these questions. Yet the ‘ancestral’ organization can transfer Art and Architecture at Work therefore from rural to urban sites, providing African puts the question forth in terms of social cities with an element that external onlookers design, a concept referring above all to the may qualify as chaotic. Such a conclusion human being, to the organization of public would negate the reality of a subtle human space and the way we live together. Design canvas where all things are intertwined. There is defined as a creation improving our well- is no ‘centered causal logic’ in Africa, but being, it is a discipline adding an aesthetical rather a series of micro-logics, which, brought Jodi Bieber (South Africa), One, Two, Three and… The Zineb Sedira (Algeria), Two lovers, 2008. © Zineb and cultural function to an object’s utilitarian together, form the social fabric. Markets, Ennerdale Academy of Dance, south of Johannesburg, Sedira, courtesy Galerie Kamel Mennour. function. neighbourhoods and courtyards therefore 1997. © Jodi Bieber, courtesy Goodman Gallery. 6 7 South African architect Heinrich Wolff in Casablanca with a negative reputation. Best practices in engages local communities in design pro- Burkina architect Diébédo Francis Kéré cesses, designing buildings to create jobs exemplifies theinnovative use of local re- and educate stakeholders in multiple ways. sources and techniques. And finally, writers culture-based urban Doual’art contemporary art centre has initi- of the Kwani? Trust in Nairobi engage citi- ated in situ art projects in Douala for over zens in reflections on the human experience development 20 years, resulting in a general awareness of urban communities in the contemporary of public and private responsibilities in the metropolis. urban realm, and creative environmental Berend van der Lans solutions to urban issues. A former slaugh- terhouse in Casablanca is transformed into African Architecture Matters, Amsterdam a generator for the social, economic and cultural development of a deprived area

Urban Africa is growing at an untamed pace. in a specific way. Urban planning depart- With economic development stimulated by ments often face limited capacities and are the discovery of new natural resources in overpowered by private parties. Another many countries of the continent, urbaniza- direction is needed, a search for common tion processes are accelerated. Privately interest, and strategic alliances among all driven investments result in rapidly changing relevant stakeholders in the urban realm. cityscapes, a trend that is barely under the This is why a new paradigm is being de- control of urban planning departments. fined. Top down urban master planning is no Values of common interest, such as the longer the answer to the challenges at stake. historic layering of the city, socio-economic Inclusive thinking is increasingly seen as the balance in the urban reality, and a safe public key to sustainable urbanism, with a role for realm, are under tremendous pressure. communities, social and cultural actors, as As urban challenges unfold, cities grow well as private investors. This contributes to increasingly dense and large. The physical a balanced and inclusive growth model with a impact on the environment is extreme. Re- broad ownership. duced energy consumption, waste control, The following cases describe urban inter- efficient planning and thoughtful use of ventions and planning processes in line with material are crucial in order to keep cities this new paradigm. Unconventional coali- liveable and economical, but these elements tions successfully contribute to shaping the are often still neglected. The social impact city, innovative strategies and techniques are is equally serious, as poverty and unemploy- used to improve urban conditions, and pro- ment on a grand scale threaten stability and fessional tasks are stretched to the maximum safety. in order to perform in today’s new circum- Existing urban planning schemes fall stances. They engage youth and young pro- short. While in the West, conventional fessionals of all sectors towards sustainable planning processes have shown their limita- visions of their environment. tions because of a lack of flexibility in times The GoDown Arts Centre is developing of crises, it also seems obvious that urban into a driver of a participatory process for Jean Depara (Angola), Deux garçons dans un café, Nontsikelelo Veleko (South Africa), Cindy and Nkuli, develop­ment in Africa needs to be addressed urban change in Nairobi. ca 1965. 2003.

8 9 Nai Ni Who? (Who is Nairobi?): Collective vision development – GoDown Arts Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

The art centre as driver for inclusive urban change

The GoDown Arts Centre is based in an Corporation to redevelop the area, this neigh- industrial area close to the city centre. It bourhood was poised for change. GoDown GoDown Centre for the Arts (photo GoDown Arts Centre) provides spaces for studios, rehearsal and was keen to become a driving force in this performance halls and an exhibition gallery. process, in an attempt to integrate a people- Since its start in 2003, it gained an impor- centred approach in this development. representatives. These meetings resulted in problems and challenges that need to be tant position in the Nairobi and Kenyan art GoDown teamed up with White Architects, the conception of a joint vision on the future addressed. Through looking at a vital pedestri- world. Through its initiatives and activities it an international Sweden-based firm which of the area and plans were developed from an link from the GoDown to the City Centre promotes the role of art as a positive force in approaches design and planning solutions there, to continue to critically engage the and a circuit also starting at the arts centre, society. in a broad and multi-disciplinary manner. relevant stakeholders with a very diverse case-studies were done for testing integrated In 2010, when the GoDown became the White sees the redevelopment of urban areas range of urban backgrounds. GoDown began planning. In an intense series of actions owner of the plot they are located at, they as a long term process, requiring room for to serve as an excellent knowledge node and under the umbrella of ‘Nai Ni Who? broadened their intentions from cultural people to develop and adjust the space to a became the driver of this new participatory (slang for Who is Nairobi?)’, GoDown is driver to driving stakeholder in the rethinking function appropriate for their way of being, and integrated process, which will contribute developing community generated pro- of their neighbourhood, the Nairobi Railway living and working. Their design processes to a broader sustainable urban development grammes for 2013, including talks, perfor- and adjacent Industrial Area. start with an early focus on this ‘soft’ infra- approach for the City of Nairobi, developed mances, exhibition tours, markets and map- This area is a historic part of the city, structure, allowing planning for attractive, as ‘Vision 2030 Nairobi Metropolitan Area’ ping, to generate a good base for the creation where the first infrastructural and industrial dynamic and sustainable cities. with the focus of ‘Conceiving a World Class of a people-centered urban zone, offering developments took place in the beginning Under the initiative Shukisha Nairobi African Metropolis’. Through the mobilisa- safe and inclusive public spaces and mixed of the 20th century. The neighbourhood is (Common Ground), GoDown and White tion of multiple stakeholders and engaging use developments. currently characterised by businesses, light Architects laid the first basis for a redevelop­ them in the planning processes, a broad manufacturing industries, residential areas ment approach of the area together with ownership of city development processes will varying from middle class to informal set- stakeholders during a 2011 workshop. This be established. tlement, and a large part is occupied by the was followed by a second one, involving Two years into this project, an alliance Kenya Railway Corporation. With a strategic UN Habitat and more stakeholders, such between all involved stakeholders and the position in larger Nairobi, the gradual re- as the City Council of Nairobi, the Kenya target beneficiaries – the local institutions, placement of industry by other facilities, and Railways Corporation, Kenya Polytechnic businesses and residents – has developed the ambitions of the Kenya Railway University College, artists and private sector leading to common steps to further identify

10 11 NAI NI WHO INITIATIVE ‘The expansion of OUTCOMES freedom’ –

Instead of top down planning, all stakeholders participate in- Architect Heinrich tensively and develop cultural ownership into a process of urban development, leading to enhanced social cohesion and stability. Wolff, Cape Town A steady system of communication and feedback to all stake- holders is set in place, to enable endorsement by all of the final vision developed. The architect and his position as enabler By improving the connectivity to the rest of the city and by turning the area into a destination with quality public spaces and urban services rather than a transit area, the stakeholders give the area meaning for all citizens of Nairobi and their guests. Heinrich Wolff is hailed in South Africa for change, which he aims to address in his An existing industrial area is endorsed as a future development bringing innovative architecture to under- work: base. This is a valid, sustainable, and economical way to to build served communities. He believes architects 1. Development of freedom: Extending on existing and shared heritage, be it grandiose or not. can contribute to social change by develop- the freedoms of the individual, through archi- ing the richness of architectural intentions tecture and the building process. A ‘Nairobi identity’ emerges and GoDown contributes to it, through a process of consultation with the 2. Environmental responsibility: Envi- helping new ‘Nairobians’ look for places to establish city life. concerned stakeholders, but also by adhering ronmental change as an essential component 2013 is the year planned for mapping and participatory to a principle labelled by Bengali economist of social change. Local building materials, planning processes, aiming to develop designed proposals for Amartya Sen as ‘the expansion of freedom’: locally sourced and with a minimal environ- concrete projects. creating job opportunities, facilitating physi- mental footprint are used, while aspects such cal protection, and developing infrastructure as optimised daylight, entry, orientation of for health and education. buildings, water collection and other tech- Wolff’s vision has also been deeply niques are implemented. influenced by the post-apartheid political 3. Perpetuation of the values of dignity, transition that took place in South Africa in equality and freedom of expression through the 90’s. The radical change that was needed architecture: overturning the differential and the participatory process of the trans- treatment of people in spatial practices. formation shaped his optimism and critical 4. Contribution to a more labour-absor- observations of the existing system. Instead bent economy: Awareness of the potential of looking for binding elements or a national of architecture for local skills development expression, he embraces the cultural uncer- and job creation. These elements influence tainty of the present time as an opportunity design decisions. for invention. 5. City as an open and all-inclusive Wolff believes that architects need to domain: Closer alignment between a city’s Partners: The project collective is communities of the area, and Kenya contribute to the redefinition of society by shape and socio-political objectives. In his formed by the GoDown Arts Centre Polytechnic University. Mimeta, creating their own agenda for social change. projects, Wolff documents situations where and its artist inhabitants, together Kulturhuset, Arkitekturmuseet are This cannot be left to the government alone. this is working and criticises shortfalls. with White Architects from Sweden additional partners. The shift in cultural values of society needs to The above may be seen as an engaged, as initiators, the Nairobi Municipa- www.godownartscentre.com transpire in architecture and urban planning. rational and strategic process, but Wolff lity, Kenya Railway Corporation as GoDown Centres for the Arts Wolff sees five important elements in social claims that architecture is also autonomous landowner of the area, all businesses, Joy M’Boya, director industries,12 educational institutes and 13 12 and irrational. Architecture needs to be both houses in line with the few brick structures engaged and autonomous, to make space for and the now available basic infrastructure, imagination and invention. We all have our in this way forming street space. The houses personal reading of the world that contri­ were designed after study and consultation butes to the cultural diversity that is claimed with the local community, allowing for in South Africa. Wolff aims to contribute to ground floor shops and urban agriculture, the social change by equally being engaged accommodating the physically disabled, and sensitive to what is there, as well as subletting parts to tenants for generating by producing works which are unique, that additional income. nobody has seen before. For the museum design, monthly meet- Heinrich Wolff was leading Noero Wolff ings were held with representatives from Architects with Jo Noero between 1998 and the community, local politicians, municipal 2012. Since 2012 he runs Wolff Architects officials and museum experts. The discussion with his wife Ilze. The projects presented informed the architects about the local histo- here were run by Noero WolffA rchitects. ries, significant events, and Struggle leaders, and guided the conception of the design. It Red Location regeneration with a Museum also continued after the museum completion, Noero Wolff Architects won the competition as an oral history project. for the design of the Red Location Museum The project was initiated in 1994, at the ‘National Site of Struggle’. The project launched with an architectural competition initiators Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhla- in 1998, and spans a series of constructions, Red Location Museum, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, by Noero Wolff Architects, ba, both Apartheid Struggle leaders together the last one planned for 2022. Most recently, 1998 – present (photo Rob Duker) with Nelson Mandela in the Rivonia Trial, in 2011, the Art Gallery and Library archive had lived at Red Location, and their objective were completed. The buildings show respect was to rejuvenate the area through a historic to the area in which they are built through museum site. their material use, and also by the wrapping Wolff realised that the first step to take, of the Art Gallery around an original corru- before designing, was the improvement of gated iron bungalow dated from 1902. The the life-world of the community in the area. bungalow was carefully restored by its owner While keeping the memory on the Struggle and is now under regular monitoring and alive, the project aimed to be a positive care, provided by a group of local residents as impulse for the area. Red Location had no part of a job creation programme. In line with surfaced roads, municipal services or green- the city’s policy of skills transfer, the con- ery, so the first developments involved road tractor used 50% local labour and provided construction, water supply, street lighting, on-site training. The next phase comprises landscaping and a small market place. the construction of 210 social housing units, In parallel to this cultural project, political two theatres, an arts and crafts school, a promises were made for social housing. But backpackers lodge and commercial spaces. the perception of the community was that The choice of building materials is based funds for housing would instead go to the on local procurement, resulting in a small museum. The architects took this seriously environmental footprint and making repair and put off the construction of the museum and maintenance easy, especially for the for two years, until the social housing was housing components. In addition, this makes complete. Supported by SIDA (Swedish the creation of adjustments and additions in International Development Agency), Noero the housing easy for the inhabitants. Wolff Architects also designed a group of Red Location Museum, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, by Noero Wolff Architects, 1998 – present. (photo Dave Southwood) 14 15 Usasazo Secondary School (2003), Khayelitsha, by Noero Wolff Architects (photo Rob Duker) Inkwenkwezi Secondary School (2007), Cape Town, by Noero Wolff Architects (photo Heinrich Wolff)

Sustainable neighbourhood schools In line with open spaces in the surround- In 2003 and 2007 Wolff was the lead architect ing neighbourhood which practically work as for two schools in townships around Cape living spaces, due to the high density of the Town. Intensive discussions with stakeholders area, an ‘exterior living room’ was extended on their needs, know-how, aspirations and into the open spaces of the school, furnished economic objectives were part of the design with inviting benches and vegetation. process. The schools present a comradeship At the Inkwenkwezi Secondary School, with their environment; the architecture pays the architects also made a specific effort in respect to the achievements of the surround- improving the effectiveness of the educational ing settlements. Both have made a substantial environment: a central outside space for impact on their communities. school breaks improves control over truancy, Statistics show that the majority of secon­ and the absence of direct views to the court- dary school graduates rarely enter tertiary yard enhances concentration. Again, the de- educational institutions, leaving self-employ- sign connects well to the informal local build- ment as a viable option. This is addressed ing culture through the wall painting tradition in the educational programme with the used for shops, inscribing the institutional introduction of entrepreneurial subjects. The character of the school within the local style. architects contributed to this way of thinking The school hall was designed for multi- by placing classrooms with a direct relation functional uses, to generate extra income to the street, furnished with hatches from to supplement the standard state subsidy, where students can directly engage with the and also function as a central locale for local public, for subjects like hair care, appliance communities for weddings, and mass ser- repair, car repair and food production. vices of six churches on weekends. Inkwenkwezi Secondary School (2007), Cape Town, by Noero Wolff Architects (photo Dave Southwood) 16 17 HEINRICH WOLFF'S ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS Making Douala – OUTCOMES Doual’Art, Cameroon

Such architectural approaches, based on participatory processes coupled with imagination and invention, lead to new solutions to Artists as drivers for sustainable urban change local urban issues. Unconventional positions in the design process allowed trust building among the communities impacted by the project. Wolff and his office work with, rather than for, communities. The critical anatomising of the assignments enabled reaching out to all possible stakeholders in the projects, and taking all their Doual’art contemporary art centre started its neighbourhood development committees. activities in 1991, with the concern of recon- Doual’art also initiated a multidisci- concerns into account while developing plans. ciling inhabitants with the streets, the public plinary think tank Ars&Urbis, gathering The design process, the material choices, and the foreseen space, and the city, following a period known architects, urban planners, sociologists, building methods and processes, all address concerns of as ‘villes mortes’, i.e. ‘dead cities’, when curators, artists and cultural operators. This community ownership, environmental impact, job creation, protests calling for a multi-party system think tank, coming together for the first time education excellence, multifunctional economic uses, as well through a general strike ceased all economic in 2005, recommended combining contem- activities in Cameroon’s economic capital. porary creation and urban development in as cultural issues. Douala, in the hands of the opposition, was focused activities over three-year periods, The projects contribute to the development of social, cultural cut off from public money for years. There concluding with a triennial international and economic capital in the project areas, and South African cities was no other way than to take things in one’s festival of public art. as a whole. own hands. Doual’art aimed to intervene The Salon Urbain de Douala (SUD) was through artistic actions in and for the city. Its born two years later, with two editions to goal was to participate in the construction of date. SUD 2007 invited artists, designers a calm citizenship, arousing social dialogue, and authors to make proposals on ‘The City and inviting inhabitants to reflect and to be of Douala’. Sustainable and temporary art- reflected upon. works were produced, dealing with the his- Between 1992 and 2000 a huge range of tory, the parallel economy, and the practice of projects were carried out and spread around recycling of Douala. SUD 2010 produced an the city. The process was left in the hands of even larger number of sustainable artworks, artists with, in general, a great level of inclu- public interventions and a CD on the theme siveness and openness towards the communi- ‘The Water and the City’. Various issues ty. Projects generated feelings of pride were addressed: the history of the canoeists, through the embellishment and creation the cosmogony of the people of the water, of public sites (see next pages). They gave access to drinking water, sanitation issues, residents opportunities for regained owner- conservation of the mangrove forest that sur- ship and re-appropriation of public spaces, rounds Douala, etc. SUD 2013, planned for Partners: The competition of the Red Swedish International Development or provoked questionings in the private and December and entitled ‘Douala Metamor- Location Museum was organized by Agency. The school projects were public spheres through media, often gather- phoses’, introduces a change of scale. Zones the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipa- commissioned by the government ing a wide audience. Some projects ended of friendliness are created, in which art lity in Port Elizabeth. The museum within regular education schemes. up contributing directly and tangibly to the mediates between layers of society, aiming at project was state-funded and addi- www.wolffarchitects.co.za city’s infrastructure: bridges, fountains, humanisation of urban life and stimulation of tionally supported through private Wolff Architects (Pty) Ltd drains – maintained by newly established feelings of identity. funds, while a community housing Heinrich Wolff, Principal component18 was supported by the 19 Passarelle de Bessengue by Alioum Moussa (photo Doual’art) One of the installations of Les Mots Ecrits by Hervé Yamguen (photo Doual’art)

The inhabitants of Douala are invited to Passarelle de Bessengue by Alioum Moussa One of the installations of Les Mots Ecrits group and become urban citizens with own- A jury comprised of community representa- by Hervé Yamguen ership and responsibility for its public space. tives chose the design of a bridge to connect Hervé Yamguen developed Les Mots Écrits, Doual’art has recently started training with Bessengue Akwa, which was a neglect- i.e. ‘The Written Words’, a poetic approach youngsters as guides for their city and the ed squatter neighbourhood. The bridge is a for his home neighbourhood of New Bell permanent art projects installed throughout symbol of acknowledgement of this commu- (one of the oldest and densest neighbour- the city. The goal is to offer tourists a read- nity as a full and integrated part of the city. hoods) by involving the local youth in writing ing of the city, and also show the impact of texts, applying these as neon sculptures and the projects undertaken by Doual’art. The creating songs with local rappers. project also promotes possibilities of income for starters on the labour market, by becom- One of the installations of Les Mots Ecrits by ing advocates of art and tourism. The aim is Hervé Yamguen (photo Doual’art) to extend this educational programme into a more structural activity of Doual’art.

20 21 New Walk Ways New Bell (photo Doual’art) Le jardin sonore by Lucas Grandin (photo Doual’art)

New Walk Ways New Bell Le jardin sonore by Lucas Grandin Kamiel Verschuren explored with inhabit- Lucas Grandin created a vertical garden ants a pragmatic approach to flooding. He where people can retreat and enjoy the developed timber covers for the sewers of sounds created by water drops dripping off New Bell, once covered by concrete slabs but the structure, developed and built together now open in some areas. The purpose was with the inhabitants. to stop the collection of dirt and waste in the stream, and prevent flooding of streets with contaminated water.

Le jardin sonore by Lucas Grandin (photo Doual’art)

22 23 DOUAL'ART – MAKING DOUALA Fabrique culturelle OUTCOMES des anciens abattoirs The interventions are designed to act as a mirror in front of the (Cultural factory of environment, highlighting certain aspects, triggering comments, enhancing relations and solving problems. the former abattoirs) The projects ignite a dialogue, between the artists and the community, between the intervention and the physical surround- Hay Mohammadi – ‘The ing, and among members of the community. Often, the artists’ work stimulates creative thinking among communities about Abattoirs’ Collective’, their environment, such as water use, services in disuse, waste management, and inefficient habits. Casablanca, Morocco The projects target and involve all groups, from decision-making elders to women and youth, all in their specific cultural role, and often also involve them in the execution of the works or even in Industrial heritage as driver for social, training towards the project's implementation. cultural and economic development The projects induce change, be it temporal or permanent, creat- ing new patterns to follow, structuring existing informal uses, and enhancing smart material use and the input of social structures. At a strategic position in Casablanca, be- The first inhabitants were poor, searching tween the city centre and a large extension for work to sustain a better living. They first area built between 1920 – 1960, the years found shelter in the slums. Addressing the of industrial expansion of the harbour city, untamed sprawling of these informal settle- was a large and vacated slaughterhouse. ments, mass housing projects were developed This municipal service had been an impor- at great speed, but the slums were not dis- tant employer for its neighbourhood until solved. Although the inhabitants succeeded activities came to a stop at the beginning of in improving their living conditions, the area the century. remained predominantly poor. It also became The area surrounding the slaughterhouse a hotbed for the bloodily suppressed 1965 is known as Hay Mohammadi, and it housed and 1981 protests against the regime. The the first slums of the city. In the 40’s and authorities neglected this area for years, for 50’s they were partly replaced by experimen- it was considered a base for political opposi- tal modernist housing projects. Since then tion, unions, and critical artists. The Derb Hay Mohammadi spontaneously developed Moulay Cherif police station, centrally located into a high-density area, with plots growing in the area, was a secret torture centre where Partners: Doual’art works with a to organizations such as Arts Colla- from the original one-level patio dwellings to thousands of political prisoners were locked changing group of local and interna- boratory, Lettera 27, and Mondriaan 4 to 5-layered housing blocks. In the area, away, sometimes for years, and in some cases tional artists, architects and thinkers, Foundation, as well as local and there is a high degree of social cohesion, but leading to death or disappearance. and has developed a very good rela- international sponsors. the reputation of Hay Mohammadi in the city The strategic position of the vacated tionship with the city council. www.doualart.org is bad; it is seen as a deprived area where it is slaughterhouse and its exceptional These projects have benefited over Doual’art dangerous to go. architectural beauty gave rise to thoughts the years from a large range of Marilyn Douala Bell, Director international24 and local funds, thanks 25 Cultural event at Les anciens abattoirs (photo Aisha El Beloui) Cultural event at Les anciens abattoirs (photo Collective of the former abattoirs) of converting the complex into a driver for disciplinary cultural and inaugural festival and political history of the area. On site, development of the area in 2005. An informal ‘Transculturelles des abattoirs’, followed­ urban signs and panels indicate places that and experimental use of the site was proposed by concerts and music events, dance, film have been important in that history, and the by the city council, to serve as an incubator of presentations, exhibitions, debates and round anniversary of the 1981 protests commemo- options for its later more permanent use. table discussions, theatre and many other rates this history yearly. A group of initial users was gathered to cultural events. The abattoirs acquired a develop programmes for the complex. Since position in the cultural world and in the direct 2009, 15 organisations active in the field of neighbourhood through these events. This arts, culture, social and youth empowerment, helped also attracting attention to the interac- form ‘le Collectif des abattoirs’ (‘Abattoirs’ tive part of the programme, through various Collective’). They roll out programmes cultural workshops and social programmes, that use culture as a tool for development, the community radio, the skate park, children promoting citizenship awareness, social and activities, reading workshops etc. The organi- intercultural dialogue between communities, sations use the abattoirs as a base, but also and creation of jobs and income-generating deploy activities outside of the area. activities. The specific aim was to save build- Meanwhile, the troubled political history ings that had an important impact on the city of the area was respectfully put forward and the neighbourhood, and allow it a new through projects such as a documentary de- life and impact for the area. picting the personal histories of people born, Since 2009 a large variety of activities have bred and politically active in Hay Moham- taken place, starting with the large multi- madi, as well as a book describing the social 26 27 CULTURAL FACTORY OF THE FORMER ABATTOIRS OUTCOMES Sustainable design for education, The Cultural factory of the former abattoirs will define and syn- chronize its final shape and form, as the buildings – listed as na- culture and tional heritage – are restored. The activities deployed there thus far development in nonetheless made it serve well as an incubator of ideas, a generator of activities and employment opportunities, and an educator on the Burkina Faso and Mali role of culture for enhancing the recognition of this neighbourhood’s communities and history. – Architect Diébédo The multi-disciplinary collective involved the local communities in giving shape to the area while offering opportunities for education Francis Kéré, Berlin and employment, thus building a platform of trust for new coalitions. The project proved the long-term benefits of re-using a derelict industrial heritage – albeit one that contributes strongly to the The architect and his position as innovator identity of the area – as an economical activity base. The City Council of Casablanca initiated the formation of a multi- disciplinary collective of organisations with cultural, tangible and intangible heritage, social, youth and gender focus. Together they As first-born son of the Gando village head- His first design for a primary school, in have built coalitions with the communities in the area. man, Kéré could go to school and started 1999, was based upon innovative use of local The cultural impact, and extent, of the activities deployed, in- working as a carpenter in 1978. Via Ger- materials and techniques, to be constructed duced a regain of pride among inhabitants, and full acceptance of man development projects he continued his by members of the community themselves. education, and graduated in architecture at Construction of the Gando primary school Hay Mohammadi by the casablancais, who previously saw it as a the Technical University of Berlin in 2004. started in 2000 and was completed in one troubled area. Already during his studies, Kéré became year, other buildings following, such as While restoration strategies are being assessed, activities contin- determined to use his newly acquired teachers’ residences, additional school build- ue, consolidating the impact on the direct environment and the city. knowledge to improve the quality of life and ings, a library and also secondary school This project also generated reflections with urban planners and chances of inhabitants of Gando, 200 km buildings. At first, the population had dif- from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, ficulty accepting that traditional building ma- architects towards a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, taking into in the arid south-eastern planes of the coun- terials and techniques perceived as primitive account the complexity of heritage, social and artistic issues. try. This village houses around 3000 souls, could produce robust and large buildings. mostly farmers. The primary school and the residences Moroccan partners: La Source du lion, Institutional partners: La Ville de The literacy rate in Burkina Faso is one were awarded with the Aga Khan Award for L’association Racines, L’association ‘Ac- Casablanca, Casablanca Aménage- of the lowest in the world, estimated at 26% Architecture in 2004, even before Kéré tion Jeunesse’, Compagnie le Territoire, ment, the City of Amsterdam, Union (UNESCO EFA Monitoring report 2009), graduated. Since then, his successive pro- EAC-L’Boulvart, Transparency Maroc, Européenne. leaving most people no alternative but farm- jects earned several renowned awards, such B§B Event, L’association Colokolo, www.abattoirs-casablanca.org ing. In the past decades, the government and as the Global Award for Sustainable Archi- L’association X Games, L’association www.facebook.com/pages/La-Fab- ATTAC-Maroc, Le festival de Casablan- rique-Culturelle-des-Anciens-Abat- foreign institutions had completion of basic tecture in 2009, the Regional Holcim Award ca, Le Réseau des Associations Unies toirs-de-Casablanca/ education as a key focus. This led Kéré to Gold in 2011 and Global Holcim Award Gold pour la Qualification Sociale, Associa- La Fabrique Culturelle des Anciens start a Germany-based fundraising associa- in 2012. tion Initiative Urbaine, Casamémoire. Abattoirs tion in 1998 to support the construction of Foreign partners: Head Genève, Dounia Benslimane, Coordinator schools in his home area. Rietvield Academy, IMS Montpellier, Inholland28 University. 29 Gando primary school (photo Francis Kéré) Bamako Urban Park (photo Jurriaan van Stigt)

The innovative use of local building ground tubes cooling air, strategic use of Another project, this time inside a capital Many attempts towards innovation were materials in the first buildings was modest. vegetation, reforestation, double skin roofs city, is the recently completed National Park based on the use of traditional building The traditional ‘banco’ clay technique was and facades to achieve significant thermal of Mali in Bamako, revived to commemo- materials and methods through ‘appropriate replaced by clay bricks added with a small reduction. rate the 50th anniversary of the country’s technology’ programmes in the 70’s and percentage of industrial cement and hand Francis Kéré is involved in many other independence from France. Supported by 80’s in developing countries. Every so often, pressed, so that they would resist to rain remarkable projects, a most exceptional one the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the former this knowledge focus failed due to cultural better, while the walls were kept under a being the ‘Operndorf Afrika’, envisioned as botanical gardens were redeveloped to make misunderstandings and misinterpretation. large sheet metal roof, supported by a light a global art project, connecting cultures and them a pleasant and safe place for recreation Examples exist of innovative earth building metal structure. The massive walls keep the aiming to overcome the division between and refuge from bustling city life. The park systems not repeated beyond the pilot phase, coolness of the night, while natural venti­ art and life. The Opera Village, about 20 buildings were designed by Kéré’s firm, hand pumps left unrepaired, or sanitation lation between the brick ceiling and the kilometres from Ouagadougou, is designed inspired by the local modernist style of the systems considered unclean by local popu- metal sheeting avoids direct sunlight, and to include a festival theatre, workshops, a 50s and 60s. They include entrance build- lations. Kéré’s work shows that excellent cross ventilation in the classroom keeps health station, guesthouses and a school for ings, a restaurant and a sport centre, all understanding of local contexts is an essen- the interior climate bearable. Rainwater is music and film classes. Simple basic designed with well-ventilated half open, half tial factor, and that the Diaspora can play an directed from the roof into a pond, and can modules, which depending upon their func- closed ‘in between spaces’ for meeting and important role in innovation in Africa. be used for irrigation. Structural use of wood tion differ in quality and materials, constitute interacting. The buildings have a distinctive was avoided, since hardwood is scarce and the entire village. Self-construction is used roof construction, providing highly required it is not a traditional building material, and for the most simple structures, and the use shade for recreation. Shaded breathing and there is little expertise in carpentry. Most of local materials is promoted as much as closed walls contribute to a pleasant interior of the labour force was locally recruited and possible. The theatre hall will serve as a place climate. Rainwater collection from the large trained on the job. In later buildings, innova- of encounter and exchange. The project was roofs, and the locally-sourced and installed tion went much further. New concepts were initiated in 2010, and as of January 2013 is in stone cladding, contribute to the environ- developed to improve building techniques its health station facility construction phase. mental sensitivity of the project. and passive climate control, such as under- 30 31 FRANCIS KERE'S ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS Kwani? literary OUTCOMES journal

Gando developed from a small farming village into an educational Nairobi, Kenya centre, attracting students – boys and girls – from many other villages in the area, even from the nomadic Peul groups. The secondary school buildings add to the meaning of Gando as an The writer and his reflections on the city educational centre. Through educational programs for adults and a public library (to be completed this year), the schools in Gando are open to the community and will address adult literacy education. Kwani? is a Kenyan literary network which for noble causes and future projects, where publishes creative stories, offers training everyone is fighting against both themselves These buildings serve as a platform for meeting, learning and opportunities, produces literary events, and and the difficulties of a merciless reality, teaching and thus contribute to the social capital of the village. connects to global networks. made up of broken dreams and of wannabe Kéré’s architecture serves as model in the field of innovative Kwani? (‘So what?’) grew out of a masculine breadwinners forced to lick their technical sustainability. The simplicity of choices in material use, series of conversations that took place wounds in the face of an economic crisis that the production of the building material, and the physical design among a group of Nairobi-based writers in has produced 10 million unemployed young the early 2000s. The main themes in Kwani people aged 18-30. make it a great example for efficient building in Sahel conditions. relate to an intrusive and teeming humanity, These projects enhanced the job prospects of the young work- claiming its dignity sometimes quietly, ers who were trained in construction techniques. sometimes loudly and sometimes mockingly. For instance the stories penned by Wainaina portray a sly Kenya, which makes fun of Western clichés, while Kahora narrates the harshness of urban life through the eyes of a boy who found in a gorilla at the Nairobi zoo his secret interlocutor, away from the squalor of the suburbs. Another prominent author is Stanley Gazemba, from the township who writes from a garage. Kwani chooses the short story as its preferred style, being accessible and able to quickly convey direct messages, which break taboos and myths about Kenya. The main settings include Nairobi (which is the heart of business, of politics, of the art of getting by, of misery, of hopes and of dreams), the highlands of the Rift Valley (where absent landlords profit from renting hectares of fertile land) and the Partners: The Gando school project prizes, attracting much more funding resorts along the coast (invaded by hordes of was initiated by the architect and im- for the later construction phases. strangers, sex tourists and real estate specu- www.kwani.org plemented thanks to mostly German www.kerearchitecture.com lators). It is a world where there is no room Billy Kahora, editor funds. The innovative methods of www.operndorf-afrika.com local materials sparked a lot of atten- Kéré Architecture tion32 and praise through awards and Francis Kéré, Principal 33 Buru Buru 1 Pastoral Artists and architects

Short story extract from 'Chimurenga Chronic', by Billy of cleanliness, industry and possibility. Later, some Kahora, a writer living in Nairobi, and also the managing model of Toyota became a part of the estate’s look. The for urban resonance: editor of Kwani. men dressed in similar suits, but were distant because of their perceived trajectories. The women met the dream, inclusiveness My younger brother, James, tells me another Buru demands of modern African motherhood in a confused Buru Phase 5 story when I make my habitual Saturday no-man’s land of arbitrary dictums. Everyone who phone call and ask him what’s happening in the old played in the courts in the green grass was young and and creativity for neighbourhood. a child. Bigger and older children strove for adulthood ‘Habari ya ghetto?’ I ask and he laughs. Buru Buru by lurking in corners in the evenings when they came 5 is not really a ghetto – no one would laugh at the home for secondary school holidays. urban welfare question if they lived in a real ghetto. Ghetto here, we The week-day adult world was about clockwork both understand, is not a physical description, rather and cars. All the men drove away at the same time the closest description to a sibling common past, rela- in the morning, to presumably build the nation, and tive to where we are now. came back at 5.30 pm to avoid the traffic jams. I ask about the Saiyankas, childhood friends, to hear I was too young to spot the drinking, the men coming The cases presented, from Kenya, Cameroon, processes are checked and balances are about their most recent failures. They are safer than the back to their housemaids at lunchtime, the women madness of the Buru present. We laugh from the liver taking to their respective churches, their neighbour- Morocco, South Africa to Burkina Faso and monitored. There is a willingness to maintain (a sound we’ve acquired from other grown men of my hood groups – not because they loved Jesus, but Mali, reach deeper and further than many the projects and one is alert to the require- family) with relief that we got away from it all: from because they had been failed by middle-class love, conventional planning processes have been ments of adaptations. Buru Buru’s inertia, its self-deceptions, its inflammato- their errant husbands, the hellions that their children able to. They share a common approach, in The communities are often not only ry realities, its temptations of matatus, drink and drugs, were becoming. which the physical, social, economical and involved in the planning processes, but also and also from our childhood friends like the Sayiankas. But even as it became evident that this was all a The escape started when our parents took us to mirage, an entitlement lurked that would ultimately cultural context is the starting point. in the implementation and daily function- school on the other, Western, side of town. By the time lead to some of our playmates refusing to grow up, like Independent creators – art centres, ing of the projects. Training programmes are we were older, we felt somewhat immune to the reali- blue-bloods or problem children who had peaked too artists, architects and representatives of set up as part of the projects, while skills are ties of failure across Buru middle-class society, evident early, and because the future could never be as bright as the creative industries – use their ‘out of sourced and innovated through training on in the lives of relatives, friends and neighbours. We childhood shrugging themselves back into early Buru the box’ working methods and thinking to the job. Employment possibilities are raised picked up an existential snarl in the stomach that was a Buru. Many of these became matatu touts, retail trad- critically contribute to urban planning and fear of failure, a fear of not being something, of not be- ers, hustlers of all shades – things that their parents and income generated. The individual in the ing able to say that things were okay and that we were dreaded, entering a weird kind of civil disobedience development. They produce surprising, in- city is not a simple consumer but a contribu- on our way. All these things saved us from Buru Buru. that scorned school, grades, trajectories through novative, even provocative design solutions, tor and beneficiary combined. But there was and still is much going on in Buru university and a ‘meaningful’ place in Kenyan society. meanwhile reaching out to and engaging all Areas that previously have been seen Buru that tells a bigger story about Kenya’s post- These are kids with whom we had played in huge stakeholders. as irrelevant or problematic gain cultural independence urban landscape. For the longest time, groups and at some point I remember the boys started This results in coalitions, spanning all and economic importance. They develop as the default description of Buru Buru was that it was a beating each other senseless, wanting to fight more middle class suburb, which declined slowly into a lower than anything else. So, when not sneering and being relevant bodies at stake and including en- thriving parts of the city. Inhabitants develop middle class area in the 1990s during an economic cruel, we played with anger and competitive meaning gaged communities. They participate in the a sense of pride and new audiences are downturn that affected the whole country. By the time as if life on the Kenyan hustle had already started. But process of critical viewing of what is in place, attracted. Taking the tangible and intangible the downturn was done, many of us realized that our the real systemic changes came in the mid-1980s. identify values and failures, and anticipate heritage in a broad, inclusive and non-elitist brand of middle class-ness meant nothing. And that is the line beyond which memories of unifor- social, urban and architectural solutions to way as a starting point boosts this pride. That it was just another Kenyan urban soup bowl of mity fade and everything moves into the Buru Buru different values, incomes, worldviews as ephemeral present – always chaotic, never-ending, a continuing be produced. They advance implementation Existing social, cultural and built structures and baseless as the latest political fad. The anger and antithesis to childhood. and development processes. All are heard are mapped and valued. Unexpected at- ugly love from my father that I experienced growing and thus given ownership of the projects. tributes and routines may be found that give up was not old, I realize, but came from the pressures Such a way of working enhances coopera- the nodes for a flourishing and sustainable of mortgages, ‘good school’ fees, the everyday stress of 1. Buru Buru started off as a middle-class estate tion, stimulates social cohesion and stability development plan. being middle-class ‘okay’ in this new world. So, Buru described by its investors and admirers as the largest of Buru became a place of misplaced aspiration succeeded its size in East and Central Africa, to later develop into and ensures the sustainability of the projects. These projects prove that the critical by failed dreams because it could never overcome its a mega cultural soup that struggles to find a balance The projects are rather seen as development positioning of creators who are sensitive and initial promise. between its aspirational genesis, its Eastlands location, processes than as end results. They give perceptive to the local context, combined The estate was built of white uniform two-storey its ubiquitous matatu culture, its despondent youth and space for adaptations over time. Platforms, with their autonomous modus operandi, maisonettes, with orange-brick roofs, which smelled its economic muscle. formal or informal, are created through which involving communities, private and public 34 35 stakeholders in new coalitions, leads to The opportunities that these projects ingenious ways of innovation in planning are offering make communities, private and processes. They show where conventional public parties invest time, money, energy planning models fall short and how this can and expertise. be addressed. Ultimately, individuals and organisations At first sight, they might seem like costly are willing to contribute when it becomes and labour intensive processes, but the clear that there is a collective striving for a resulting inclusive, sustainable and stable healthy environment, where all citizens feel environments make all stakeholders benefi- participants of a society that offers chances ciaries. for dignity, education and income generation.

Architects Interpretation Conception Innovation

Artists Academia Art Centres Teaching the new Questioning Imagination paradigm Dream

Urban Resonance And Environmental Citizens intelligence Urban Experience Planners Ownership Planning History

Developers Municipal Building Vision sustainable Support Inclusion

Stakeholders Workshops ‘Towards a Nairobi Urban Identity: Reclaiming city heritage and building cultural legacy’ at the GoDown Arts Centre, 2011 (photo Matti Östling, Museum of Architecture, Stokholm)

36 37 African architecture Arts, architecture and URBAN expansion networks § expertise centres in Africa: Snapshots

In recent years, specific challenges of Africa’s built environment have been recognised and are The timeline on the next pages maps some international cultural policies as addressed by various networks and expertise centres. Below are a few significant players on the well as artistic and literary initiatives in Africa all along the last century up to Continent. the present times as political and urban developments unfolded. It provides key urban milestones and trends for several important African African Centre for Cities (ACC) Association of African Planning ArchiAfrika cities (Nairobi, Bamako, Lagos, Kinshasa, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg) and In Africa, urban-related research Schools (AAPS) As a broad and multi-disciplinary reveals the gradual engagement of the arts into urban affairs, moving from is highly fragmented. The central Many African planning schools informal network, ArchiAfrika brings objective of the ACC is to provide a operate in a context in which urban together architects, planners, educa- literature and biennials to the establishment of contemporary art centres and base from which to critique urban planning practices, national planning tors, artists and all other experts urban festivals. issues and offer alternative solutions. legislation and planning curricula relevant in the built environment on Urban planning, architect networks and urban parks also developed sig- The aim of the ACC is (1) to partner remain largely inherited from their and beyond the continent for a broad nificantly lately, as cities experienced exponential growth. closely with policy making centres to colonial past and continue to promote discourse encompassing the role Internationally, the focus of UNESCO widened, from cultural heritage pro- provide an alternative perspective on ideas and policies transferred from the of socio-cultural inspired develop- dealing with critical urban issues and global North. Many of these ideas and ment. ArchiAfrika offers a platform tection to diversity and dialogue, the acknowledgement of cultural identity, and (2) to provide an intellectual base for practices are inappropriate in contexts for debate and exchange of informa- the strengthening of local skills and institutions. In the post-2015 (post Mil- interdisciplinary, urban related re- characterised by rapid growth, poverty tion through biannual conferences, lennium Development Goals) context, development policies are likely to move search with established relations with and informality. AAPS recognises that their website and magazine. Special towards stability and sustainability, major challenges for African megacities. international funders and think tanks. fundamental shifts in the content and attention is given to the next genera- This timeline, although very selective, helps visualize an essential aspect: The ACC was established in 2007 pedagogy of urban traning pro- tion architects and planners of Africa at the University of Cape Town in grammes are required. through intensified collaboration in the necessity to bridge the gap between urban population growth and the cur- South Africa and has been led by The AAPS was initiated in 1999 the ArchiAfrika Educational Network. rent state of play in culture-based urban planning, so as to secure a sustain- Professor Edgar Pieterse since then. in Dar es Salaam and formally A group of 14 architecture schools able future. It offers a base for research and established in 2002. In 2008, in based in Africa gathered in Ghana in organises conferences, events, lecture association with the ACC in Cape June 2012 to define what is needed in series as well as produces publica- Town, it held its inaugural conference architecture education in Africa and tions and makes use of other media. It and started a programme of capacity find common grounds for a collabora- also produces the African City Reader building and exchange. The AAPS is tive programme, including student together with Chimurenga Magazine. based at the University of Cape Town workshops, exchange of students and www.africancentreforcities.net in South Africa. tutors as well information sharing. www.africancitiesreader.org.za www.africanplannigschools.org.za The network presently includes archi- www.urbanafrica.net tecture schools from Morocco, Dakar, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa but its specific aim is to extend further across the continent and to cross the ‘natural’ language borders. ArchiAfrika is based in Accra, Sources: Ghana and is led by activist architect United Nations, department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Joe Osae – Addo since 2010. The Division (2008). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision. organisation had been founded by a Timeline of the 2010 Visionary Africa GEO-Graphics exhibit at the Centre group of Dutch architects with experi- ence in Africa in 2001. for Fine Arts in Brussels, developed in partnership with eight African art www.archiafrika.org centres in Africa. SUM research BOZAR research UN Habitat website Nairobi 24, Kwani Arts Trust, 2007

38 39 40 41 About Art at Work

Art at Work was a space at once material and After close to two years of itinerance and symbolic in which, over the course of several workshops held in Ouagadougou, Addis Ababa, installations in public spaces of African capitals, Cairo, Harare and Kampala, we can draw two society’s stakeholders were invited to debate conclusions about artistic production and questions which do not only touch on creativity, distribution in Africa. The first one is the critical but also on the organization of the city. need for dialogue, to sit around a table and ex- Architect David Adjaye and curator Simon change on problems, which may seem trivial to Njami developed the idea of a mobile pavilion policy makers. This explains the relative difficul- giving immediate access to the cultural produc- ties encountered by ‘festival’ or ‘biennial’ type tion of the continent and of the host country. initiatives on the continent. The second one is This structure, conceived as a reflection on the importance to pose the fundamental ques- access to cultural goods, is the strating point tion at the heart of any cultural project: who are and concrete implementation of this idea. It is we addressing and how do we reach this target a matrix of collaboration between institutions, audience? Many events about Africa happen cultral actors, and local authorities. It engages in Europe without any return to the Continent, audiences in the large definition of the term, i.e. depriving Africans of opportunities to discuss the civil society, to rethink its environment, its their own contemporary art practices on their communities, and its cultural practices. It is an territory. Furthermore, educational structures invitation to build the future, not in an abstract (schools, museums, etc.) and cultural policies and disengaged manner, but in the heart of the often have other priorities, leading contempo- city, among and with citizens. rary art into a conceptual and material dead- Art at Work pavilion in Ouagadougou, February 2011 (photo Dominique Thiange) And so, in each city of its itinerance, an Art end. The idea of transposing models conceived at Work pavilion was installed in a public space, in another time and other places has proved where local populations could see exhibited art its limits. One of the essential qualities of this works without going through the usual hoops project was therefore that it confirmed the and barriers of the museum apparatus. The existence of a common base of African specific- content of the pavilion includes a Pan-African ity (whether north or south of the Sahara, and selection of photography from the 1960s onward whether in contemporary art or social design (from Simon Njami’s 2010 exhibit ‘A Useful areas) and that the expectations of all partici- Dream’); a photo documentary survey of the pants involved in this project echo each other. architectures of all 52 African capitals by David Adjaye; and also photography works presented by a local curator, which directly relate to the cultural production and history of the host coun- try. An accompanying program of workshops addresses the issues of structures, audiences and education for art in each country visited.

Art at Work pavilion in Cairo, February 2012 (photo Yiahya Diwer)

42 43 Extract of Urban Africa (Mountains § Highveld Art and Architecture at Work is adapted from the original project Visionary Africa: Art at Work Region), the 10-year photographic survey of Organized by the European Commission with the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (BOZAR), and in the architectures of African capitals by architect partnership with the Commission of the African Union. David Adjaye, presented in the Art at Work pavil- Co-curators ion. Reproduced with courtesy of David Adjaye. David Adjaye and Simon Njami

David Adjaye has stepped out of his regular Pavilion design line of work to photograph and document key Adjaye Associates cities in Africa as part of an ongoing project to study new patterns of urbanism. Often Contractor CECOFORMA regarded as a continent defined by under- development, poverty, war and tourism, General Director, Centre for Fine Arts Brussels through this exhibition Adjaye presents Africa Paul Dujardin in a different light, examining the buildings and places which have a special resonance Deputy Artistic Director, Centre for Fine Arts Brussels with his preoccupations as an architect. This Adinda van Geystelen detailed survey revealed a unique snapshot of Adjaye Associates urban Africa today, documenting the nature David Adjaye of city life in a developing continent: a unique geo-cultural survey profiling the African city SumResearch in a global context. Paul Lievevrouw From ‘An epic act of homage to a continent’ Observer newspaper, UK. Project manager, Centre for Fine Arts Brussels Kathleen Louw

African partners See travel log page

Acknowledgements Joe Osae Addo, Mahmood H. Ahmed, Erfa Alani, Heeten Bhagat, Yohannes Bereket, Bili Bidjocka, Mansour Ciss, Raphael Chikukwa, Marieke De Baerdemaeker, Aldo Dell’Ariccia, Theo Eshetu, Paul Damasane, Marilyn Douala Bell, Sherif Erian, Giorgio Ficcarelli, Marc Franco, Yves Gervais, Kheled Hafez, Gilles Hubens, Aze Issa, Rita Janssen, Simon Kasyate, Faisal Kiwewa, Anna Kuma, Léo Lefort, Kathleen Louw,Joy M’Boya, Thomas Melin, Frédéric Meseeuw, Buhlebenkosi Moyo, Aida Muluneh, Margaret Naga- wa, Moataz Nasr, Rose Mwanja Nkaale, Rosette Nteyafas, Christoph Pelzer, Philippe Peyredieu du Charlat, Katrin Peter-Klaphake, Mohamed Raouf, Isabelle Ribot, Roberto Ridolfi, Tracey Rose, Nicola Setari, May Shehab, Doreen Sibanda, Francesco Siravo, Dominique Thiange, Freddy Tsimba, Stephan Uhoda, Sophie Uhoda, Hélene Vandenberghe, Frank Vanhaecke, Berend Van der Lans, David Vliegen, Céline Wellens.

Photo on cover: Nontsikelelo Veleko (South Africa), Hloni, Johannesburg, 2003-2006. Drawing of the Art at Work pavilion by Adjaye Associates, 2011. ©Adjaye Associates.

Nairobi, Kenya

44 45 Artists and Architects for urban resonance: dream, inclusiveness and creativity for urban welfare

46