News archive
Download the ArchiAfrika newsletter November 2006 here
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Download the ArchiAfrika newsletter September 2006 here
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Download the ArchiAfrika newsletter July 2006 here
------------------------------------------------------------------------Ubuntu and Architecture (18-04-2006)
Antoni Folkers of ArchiAfrika takes part in the dialogue session African Philosophy and Ubuntu at Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam on Monday 24 April 2006. The session starts at 21h00.
During April, the ‘month of philosophy’, several activities and events are organised throughout the Netherlands. The Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy offer a special contribution to this themed month: an evening about African Philosophy, focusing on Ubuntu.
In the African concept of ‘Ubuntu’, a human being is primarily part of a community. On 24 April a dialogue session will be held in the lobby of the Lloyd Hotel around the concept of Ubuntu. We will look at Ubuntu in relation to different fields.
Prof. Heinz Kimmerle, emeritus professor of Philosophy, will give a general introduction about Ubuntu, based on the book of Mogobe Ramose ‘African Philosophy through Ubuntu’. Henk van den Heuvel will look at Ubuntu from the perspective of Organisation and Management. Last year he organised a conference about Ubuntu and Management at the VU. Antoni Folkers will look at the relation between Ubuntu and architecture. He has been working as an architect in Africa since 1984 and is chair man of the board of ArchiAfrika. Ubuntu is linked in other parts of Africa, such as the Ashanti from Ghana. Toni Kofi will look at this relation. Also, slides will be shown and scenes from a documentary on this subject. The evening will be accompanied by philosopher Renate Schepen.
African music by Helder Edgar and his combo.
Language: English.
Free admission, more information and route description on www.lloydhotel.com
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RLICC Conference (28-03-2006)
Between 22 – 25 May 2006 the conference ‘Conservation in Changing Societies – heritage and development’ takes place at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation in Leuven, at the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
After 30 years of multidisciplinary education, the RLICC feels that it is time to reflect on the past and the future of conservation philosophies and practices as they are conceived of in the Lemaire Centre’s program, through assessing what has been formulated, taught and disseminated by the RLICC and realized by its Alumni. Gauging the impact of the RLICC’s program on the five continents, and establishing a cross-cultural dialogue between the participants resulting in a series of resolutions for the future: these are the first challenges the conference must address. Moreover, through the contribution of its Alumni, the conference also wants to tackle the hot topic of globalisation (of thought and practice), to debate upon ‘multicultural approach versus ideology’ and to evaluate the applicability of different conservation theories.
During this conference ArchiAfrika will present the results of the workshop on Modern Architecture in Tanzania around Independence, held in Dar es Salaam, July 2005.
For more information see: www.conservation2006.org
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News from Ghana (28-03-2006)
From 10 to 12 January 2007, the Department of Architecture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, in association with The Ghana Institute of Architects, will host the conference:
African Architecture Today
This conference is part of an attempt to define and propagate African architecture.
The dearth of literature in African architecture, especially by Africans, has tended to perpetuate some kind of mysticism about African architecture. Recent developments challenging Eurocentric focus on architectural development education world-wide have also tended to produce rather romantic and exaggerated accounts of African architecture. The aim of the conference African Architecture Today is to help define and establish what African architecture really is and means today or in the 21st century and how it can be sustained into the future.
Conference Objectives
- To bring together major stakeholders to map out a common agenda to define
African architecture and create a forum for its sustainable development.
- To provide the opportunity for African experts to share locally developed
knowledge and expertise with each other and the broader international
community.
- To establish a network of African experts on sustainable building and built
environments for future cooperation on research and development initiatives
on the continent.
For more information go to: www.knust.edu.gh
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Renewed Board (14-03-2006)
On 14 March 2006, ArchiAfrika has renewed its board. The foundation welcomed four new members during a first kick-off meeting. Three out of the five founders of ArchiAfrika have meanwhile laid down their task as board member.
Antoni Folkers continues to be chair of the ArchiAfrika Foundation. Berend van der Lans will also prolong his board membership and has been appointed secretary. Former secretary Joep Mol will still be actively involved with ArchiAfrika by coordinating 2 projects, but will not be active as a board member anymore. Janneke Bierman, one of the other founders of ArchiAfrika, has left the board as well and took up the position of chair of the Dutch DOCOMOMO workgroup. ArchiAfrika thanks both of them very much for all their efforts and dedication.
When ArchiAfrika was founded in 2001, the board consisted of a group of five architects, who all had extensive experience in living and working in Africa. Hence, all were specialised in the same field. As the organisation began to professionalize, it became clear that there was a need for knowledge in different organisational areas and that ArchiAfrika would profit from a board with a broader base. Therefore, when looking for new board members, ArchiAfrika searched for people with different backgrounds and additional qualities. This resulted in the appointment of Wim Wienk as treasurer and Annemieke de Kler, Bernadette Huizinga and Dick Malaba as general board members. All of them have a clear connection with Africa and architecture but are also specialised in (e.g.) banking, fundraising or urban development.
ArchiAfrika is convinced that with this renewed board, a broad base for a professional approach and successful execution of its new projects is laid.
------------------------------------------------------------------------News (23-01-2006)
Proceedings of the conference and the workshop results
The proceedings can be downloaded as PDF file via our website.
If you wish, you can also order a copy for € 25 (exclusive shipping costs) via info@archiafrika.org.
African institutes can contact us for special arrangements.
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News (28-11-2005)
ICOMOS Lecture by Johan Lagae and ArchiAfrika on 14 December 2005
During the above event ArchiAfrika will present the preliminary results of the project ‘Modern Architecture in Tanzania around Independence’. Please read the below text (in Dutch) for more information on the event and how to register.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
ICOMOS Netherlands
Uitnodiging
Datum: woensdag 14 december 2005, aanvang 19.30 uur
Plaats: Erfgoedhuis, Herengracht 474 te Amsterdam
Onderwerp: Architectural heritage conservation in Tanzania & Congo
Door: Stichting ArchiAfrika (Antoni Folkers / Berend van der Lans) en Johan Lagae
Afrikaanse architectuur is, in tegenstelling tot bijvoorbeeld Afrikaanse beeldende kunst, dans en muziek een onbekend hoofdstuk. Onterecht, er zijn in Afrika vanaf mensenheugenis bijzondere zaken verrezen: monumentale en streekgebonden bouwwerken alsmede stedenbouw-kundige complexen. Afgezien van een aantal op zichzelf staande bouwwerken, meestal betrekking hebbend op koloniaal verleden, is er nauwelijks en laat staan samenhangend over gepubliceerd.
De stichting ArchiAfrika, vertegenwoordigd door Antoni Folkers en Berend van der Lans, heeft zich als doel gesteld het op de wereldkaart zetten van Afrikaanse architectuur alsmede het leveren van een bijdrage aan de ontwikkeling daarvan. De lange termijn doelstelling van ArchiAfrika is het ontwikkelen van een platform voor kennis- en informatie-uitwisseling waardoor de rijkdom van Afrikaanse architectuur en stedenbouw ontsloten kan worden.
Modern Architecture in Tanzania around Independence“ is het eerste project van ArchiAfrika.
Er is gekozen voor een onderwerp dat nog op redelijk bekend terrein ligt: de vertaling en interpretatie van het erfgoed van de Moderne Beweging in Tanzania. In samenwerking met een aantal onderwijsinstituten (TU Eindhoven, University of Dar es Salaam, TU Delft en KU Leuven) is in de afgelopen zomer een workshop en conferentie gehouden die als doel had het in kaart brengen van de hoogtepunten en thematiek van de moderne architectuur in Tanzania tussen 1950en 1975. Het werk van architect Almeida vormt de spil van het onderzoek. Almeida (1921) is een nog actieve architect die een indrukwekkend oeuvre op zijn naam heeft staan, dat zich kan meten met menig westers architect van dezelfde school en tijd.
De resultaten van de workshop en conferentie, die tevens de basis vormen voor een boek, documentaire en wellicht een tentoonstelling, zullen door de twee sprekers worden toegelicht.
Johan Lagae gaat vervolgens in op het omvangrijk bouwpatrimonium in de Democratische Rep. Congo, tussen 1885 en 1960 gerealiseerd door de drie actoren in het Belgische koloniale verhaal: overheid, missiecongregaties en ondernemingen. Vreemd genoeg is de rol van (Belgische) architecten daarin beperkt gebleven. Was de Belgische kolonie een dankbaar werkterrein voor de ontwikkeling van de planningsdiscipline, dan heeft Congo geen analoge rol als architectuur-laboratorium vervuld.
Desalniettemin vallen er tal van opmerkelijke realisaties aan te stippen, die een belangrijke aanvulling vormen op de kennis van de 20ste eeuwse Belgische architectuur. Tegelijk vormen gebouwen en stadsgehelen uit de koloniale periode een belangrijke bron voor een andere geschiedschrijving over de Belgische kolonisatie. Gebouwen en stedelijke entiteiten in de kolonie worden immers geschraagd door koloniale ideologieën en reveleren als dusdanig machtsstructuren, maar tegelijk vormen ze het decor waarin het dagelijkse leven in de kolonie zich afspeelt. Stilaan groeit er belangstelling voor dit bouwkundige patrimonium en komt er, zowel in België als in Congo, een reflectie op gang over een zinvolle omgang met dit 'gedeeld erfgoed'.
Johan Lagae studeerde af als ingenieur-architect aan de Universiteit Gent waar hij sinds 1994 werkzaam is. Hij promoveerde op de koloniale architectuur in de voormalige Belgische kolonie (2002) en publiceert regelmatig over dit onderwerp. Hij is redactielid van OASE.
De sprekers gaan graag met de zaal in gesprek over bovenstaande thema's.
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De lezing vindt plaats van 19.30 tot 21.30 uur; vanaf 17.30 uur is er een borrel gevolgd door een informele maaltijd. Aanmelding vooraf via e-mail, zowel voor de lezing als de borrel en maaltijd, uiterlijk 10 dec 2005.
Als bijdrage in de organisatiekosten wordt € 8,- gevraagd; voor ICOMOS-leden is de bijdrage in de contributie inbegrepen. De kosten voor de informele borrel en maaltijd voorafgaand aan de lezing bedragen € 12,- per persoo, zowel voor leden als niet-leden.
Erfgoedhuis, Herengracht 474, 1017 CA Amsterdam,
tel. (020) 627 77 06, fax (020) 624 25 36, email icomos@erfgoedhuis.nl
------------------------------------------------------------------------News (29-07-2005)
Conference 29 July 2005
Today the conference on Modern Architecture in East Africa around Independence has been closed off. The conference, at the end of a 3 week workshop with students from Tanzania, Belgium, Netherlands but also Poland, Italy and Namibia, brought together architects, planners, lecturers, students, researchers and other interested parties from most East African but also other African countries. Whilst the conference was focussed on the modern heritage and the possible connection with the colonial and post-colonial political developments, the debate also touched questions around the meaning of the heritage at present, the meaning of modernity in the African context and identity. It was clear that the discussion only just started, and that the participants considered the conference the start of an interesting discourse on the above matters.
The results of the workshop were presented during the conference and can be seen as a first attempt to come to an inventory on the modern heritage in Tanzania. In the coming period strategies for further research will be developed in collaboration with the involved institutes (see elsewhere on this site).
The conference proceedings including the opening lecture by Nnamdi Elleh, the keynote lectures, paper presentations and the results of the workshop will be issued in the 2nd half of 2005.
The conference was organised by ArchiAfrika foundation in collaboration with the Architects Association of Tanzania.
A personal diary, noted by Antoni Folkers during the conference week, can be found at www.archined.com/archined/4909.0.html
(For the Dutch version please visit www.archined.com/archined/4882.0.html)
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News (18-07-2005)
Modern Architecture in East Africa around Independence
Conference July 27th-29th, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The conclusive conference at a three-week international workshop on the subject of Modern Architecture in Tanzania around Independence, starts with the presentation of the results of the workshop and a discussion on these results. The conference will continue with a broader focus on the heritage of the Modern Movement around Independence (1950-1975) in East Africa.
Modern Architecture appeared as a new and double faced phenomenon in architecture and urbanism in East Africa during the 1950’s and 1960’s. At the end of the colonial period (1950’s) this architecture was often the preferred expression of the intended colonial welfare state, whereas after Independence (1960’s) the new state and its institutions relied upon it to convey the hope, strength and optimism of the new African nation.
Today there is little systematic knowledge about this architecture in East Africa. Notwithstanding a growing interest in the entanglement of modernism, colonialism and the post-colonial condition, we still lack documentary sources on a large part of this history as well as information about the reception and appropriation of this heritage up to date. The conference intends to bring together scholars, researchers and other interested parties who wish to contribute to a better understanding of this important part of East African recent history.
Keynotes, plenary papers and discussions will focus on three issues: 1. the rise of Modern Architecture in East Africa in the 1950’s and 1960’s and its role in the development of local architecture; 2. the position of East African Modern Architecture in relation to the architecture of the international Modern Movement; 3. East African Modern Heritage in its cultural, social and political context.
Involved institutes: Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (University of Leuven / KUL): Post Graduate Centre Human Settlements (PGCHS) and Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC), Belgium; Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands; Architects Association of Tanzania (AAT) and ArchiAfrika foundation, the Netherlands.
The conference will take place at Msasani Slipway, Dar es Salaam. No fee will be charged for participation in the conference, except for lunch and dinner costs (10 usd/day), which will have to be paid at the registration office.
For all questions please contact us via E-mail: info@archiafrika.org or phone: +255 744 57 32 79 (phone calls from Tanzania) or +31 30 223 23 20 (phone calls from elsewhere).
For registration for participation in the conference, please send an
E-mail to info@archiafrika.org before July 25th 2005.
The project has been made possible through financial support by: Prince Claus Fund, NCDO, Stimuleringsfonds voor Architectuur / HGIS, HIVOS, Royal Netherlands Embassy Dar es Salaam, De Twee Snoeken Automatisering, the involved institutes and private donations.
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News (11-07-2005)
Dar es Salaam, 11 July 2005
A group of 11 Tanzanian and 12 foreign students started the workshop on Modern Architecture in Tanzania around Independence. During this workshop the students will study a selection of buildings of the modern heritage from architects like Beda Amuli, Sukhi Shah, Ernest May and Anthony Almeida. The results will be presented at the start of the conference on Modern Architecture in East Africa around Independence (27 – 29 July 2005). For more information please contact info@archiafrika.org.
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