The Architecture of Urban Africa

London based, Tanzanian born Architect David Adjaye presents an exhibition at London's Design Museum of his own photographs of African cities. I heard Adjaye speaking about the project on the World Service last night, he's a beautifully elegant speaker who makes you feel as excited as he is. He spoke about how his African heritage (his parents are from Ghana) has fuelled his practice throughout his career, and how he felt that he needed to document every capital city all over the huge continent before they're development caused them to become generic.

Cities like Kumasi and Tamale in the North of Ghana had that impact on me a few years back. So much colour, chaos, music, smells. They are vibrant places, pulsating as if they're alive themselves. The pic above is the Larabanga Mosque - okay it's certainly not urban- but it's an example of the amazing historical aesthetic that modern day African cities have evolved out of. No wonder they're fascinating.

From the exhibition's press release:

David Adjaye has photographed the salient features of Africa’s cities including suburban settlements, unofficial developments and townscapes. Brought together for the first time, these photographs reveal the cities themselves and examine the buildings and places which have a special resonance with Adjaye’s preoccupations as an architect. The photographs will be presented as a series of vivid large-scale projections, set against a backdrop of African beats specially composed for the exhibition by Peter Adjaye. The images and music will flood the gallery creating a rich diversity of architecture, culture and urban landscape.

Often regarded as a continent defined by underdevelopment, poverty, war and tourism, through this exhibition Adjaye presents Africa in a different light. This detailed survey will reveal a unique snapshot of life in Africa today, documenting the nature of urban life in a developing country, a unique geo-cultural survey profiling the African city in a global context.

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What City in Africa excites you from an urban development stand point?

Comments

[Shamima Sultana]

wow...what a great house...I like it