AAMatters

Stars of Dar on show at Slipway, 14 February - 14 March

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:56:00 +0100

After its first presentation in October 2011, the exhibition will now be presented on the well visited Msasani Slipway in Dar es Salaam.

The exhibition Stars of Dar light-footedly introduces you to the most interesting public spaces and buildings of Dar es Salaam. It tells the visitor about their history but most important: what we can learn from them if we think about the future of our beloved city, according to Mustafa Hassanali, Mbaraka Igangula, Mrisho Mpoto, Njenje Band and other people in Dar’s society. During a workshop, freshly graduated Ardhi University (ARU) students went out to interview them and further conducted 3 short films with interviews at Kariakoo, Posta and Mwenge: what do the users think is great about these places, and what can be improved? The exhibition will be opened by Dr. Livin Mosha, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design (SADE) of the Ardhi University. Prior to that, a short film will be shown, capturing the project and the reactions of the guest visiting the Stars of Dar exhibition in October 2011. You are most welcomed to join the opening on 14 February at 18:30 hours at the exhibition venue at the Slipway.

Exhibition Stars of Dar
Presented: 14 February – 14 March
Opening hours: 12:00 – 19:00hr. between Wednesdays and Sundays
Exhibition space at The Slipway, Msasani Peninsular
Opening: 14 February, 18:30 hrs.
Further information: http://starsofdar.tumblr.com

The exhibition Stars of Dar in October 2011 in Ebrahim building.

Stars of Dar is a project under collaboration with Architects Association of Tanzania (AAT), Ardhi University (ARU) and African Architecture Matters of the Netherlands. We thank the Slipway for their cooperation and offer to use the exhibition venue. The project was further supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and Green Car rental. The films are developed by Hypermedia.

The exhibition was developed and first presented in the context of GLOBAL CITY - LOCAL IDENTITY, a project series on architecture and city development organized by the Goethe-Institut Tanzania.
For more information see: www.facebook.com/GLOBALCITYLOCALIDENTITY

Atlas Architectures of the 21st Century - Africa and Middle East published

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:07:37 +0100

Edited by Luis Fernández-Galiano, this volume gives insight in some of the interesting projects of the African continent and the Middle East. AAmatters director Antoni Folkers contributed to this publication with a chapter on Central and Eastern Africa, but also ArchiAfrika friends Iain Low, Nnamdi Elleh, Suha Ozkan, Hassan Radoine and Farrokh Derakhshani contributed to this book. Among many others you will find work of Daniela Diwouta-Kotto, Francis Kéré, Noero Wolff architects, Jose Forjaz, KILO architecture, Peter Rich and FBW Architects. You can flip through the book here.

ArchiAfrika newsletter on the National Museum of Ghana out now!

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:06:59 +0100

The ArchiAfrika newsletter on the National Museum of Ghana is just spread, with contributions from Rachel Stella Jenkins, Rafael Chikukwa, Mae-ling Jovenes Lokko and Fatric Bewong. Does the role of National Museums in Africa have to be reviewed? In this newsletter, through the case of the museum in Accra, this question is discussed. In Accra this discussion is continuing through the activities of the Friends of the National Museum. You can download the newsletter here in English and French.

Learning from Casablanca exhibition reviewed

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:41:00 +0100

(photo Elena Cattani)

The exhibition Learning from Casablanca is dismantled over last weekend, but it lives on through some reviews and a facebook page. Casamemoire and AAmatters are preparing for the next steps in this journey. We will explore what the lessons from Casablanca could mean for contemporary planning challenges. We keep you updated.

Meanwhile read the reviews at Archdaily and Made in Medina and follow Learning from Casablanca on Facebook.

Images of African Perspectives 2011 in Casablanca

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:18:35 +0100

Opening session during the key-note lecture of Saskia Sassen (photo Rachel Stella Jenkins)

Nearly 4 weeks ago, the 5th African Perspectives conference opened in Casablanca, Morocco. Another successful gathering of students, academics and professionals in the fields related to architecture and planning in Africa, organised by the network organisation ArchiAfrika.

The conference closed after a number of very interesting interventions, exhibitions and debates, in search for new ways of approaching the challenges of planning for the future, not only restricted to Africa. More news on this will follow.

This photostream will give you a glimpse of the events taking place.

AAmatters newsletter posted!

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:03:00 +0100

Read about the latest news and activities of African Architecture Matters in the newsletter via http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a985ccc339a56cccb87d5c9a5&id=dedadaa6da&e=7d3fe8663b.

There is news on African Perspectives 2011, the exhibitions Learning from Casablanca and Stars of Dar as well as the announcement of lectures / debates at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.

Happy reading!

Lecture 'Global architecture, is there a difference?' at Amsterdam Academy of Architecture - 11 November 2011, 16 - 18hrs.

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:27:08 +0100

With projects in Sao Paulo and Ghana, students from the academy in Amsterdam are intrigued by the position of the architect while working abroad. Heinrich Wolff, highly successful prize winning architect from South Africa is often crossing borders in his country. After his lecture for ‘designers of the future’ in Delft on 10 November (see www.designersofthefuture.nl), he shares his ideas on border crossing with the Amsterdam crowd. Kunle Adeyemi (to be confirmed) has been key member of Rem Koolhaas’ OMA team for many years. After his involvement in OMA’s innovative projects in his home country Nigeria, China and elsewhere in the world, he started NLé, focusing on shaping the architecture of development cities. AAmatters director Berend van der Lans is co-founder of ArchiAfrika, the network organization with focus on architecture in Africa which has border-crossing in the core of the veins.

After three short introductions on the basis of their work, the speakers will be in discussion on the pros and cons of working in other environments. You are all invited to join. You will find the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture here.

exhibition Stars of Dar now at the Slipway in Dar es Salaam

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:19:46 +0100

After a successful opening of at the Urban Dreamscape project, part of the event ‘Global City – Local Identity?’ in Dar es Salaam, Stars of Dar is moving on and actually is now on display at one of its Stars! The exhibition is being built up at the Slipway in Dar es Salaam and can be visited for free most part of the day.

Moreover you will be able to find everything about the Stars of Dar on the dedicated web page starsofdar.tumblr.com. You can see the videos on Dar es Salaams most important public spaces already now.

Stars of Dar is a project developed by the Architects Association of Tanzania and African Architecture Matters, in close collaboration with the ARDHI University.

exhibition Learning from Casablanca opens at first day African Perspectives 2011

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:36:02 +0100

Casablanca served as laboratory for European architects to experiment with modernist mass housing in the 40’s and 50’s. The visions of modernist architecture spread all over the world, suggesting new structures in housing, work, transport, and leisure.

The spatial structure in Casablanca has been extremely transformed and appropriated by the inhabitants over time to respond to the requirements and aspirations of everyday life. The exhibition Learning from Casablanca shows the results of multi disciplinary studies undertaken in the previous year by students from Morocco and various parts of Europe. Films, multimedia presentations, posters and models present the stories behind the transformation.

The ‘debates on tour’, organised with the Netherlands Architecture institute as part of African Perspectives 2011 on 4 November at the Sacre Coeur and on 5 November at the Ecole Superieure de l’Architecture, will use these unplanned developments as starting point for a debate on the possibilities of adaptation in contemporary planning issues. .

Learning from Casablanca is developed by Casamemoire and African Architecture Matters, with contributions from the Ecole Superieure de Casablanca, Université Hassan II, Delft University of Technology, the universities of Utrecht and Stockholm, ARCAM, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Morocco and the City of Amsterdam. The project is generously made possible by the Netherlands Architecture Fund.

African Perspectives 2011 starting very soon

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:18:33 +0100

African Perspectives 2011 in Casablanca is about to start. The 5th conference of ArchiAfrika, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is again going to be special. From 3 to 5 November an international crowd will gather and visit places in Morocco’s largest city for lectures, debates, exhibitions, films and more on ‘the African Metropolis’. Many countries in Africa but also from elsewhere in the world are represented. Find the programme – with Saskia Sassen, Farrokh Derakhshani, Iain Low, Abderrahim Kassou, Jord den Hollander, Ola Uduku, Tom Avermaete, Joe Osae-Addo, Antoni Folkers and many others - on www.african-perspectives.com.

We are confident that we can organize streaming of at least part of the African Perspectives event. Keep an eye at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/african-architecture-matters if you want to be with us over long distance!

An exhibition on Africa by Africa - Femke van Zeijl on Blueprints of Paradise

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:16:00 +0200

When the Dutch Afrika Museum wanted to give its visitors an idea of current day Africa, African Architecture Matters advised them to ask people on the continent themselves how they wanted to be represented. An interesting experiment involving an architectural competition with an outcome unknown to the museum’s planners: ‘The time a Western ethnographic museum could say “this is how it is over there” is over.’

Read Femke van Zeijl’s article here.

workshop and exhibition 'Stars of Dar' and symposium 'Global City – Local Identity?' – Dar es Salaam, 3-16 October 2011

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:24:03 +0200

… the meaning of architecture and planning for everyday life, based upon interviews with key persons in Dar es Salaam society and street interviews …

Dar es Salaam is a vital and vibrant city, the pumping heart of the country. It accommodates millions of people, all together to work, learn and live. Every corner of the country is represented and due to globalization also almost all other parts of the world.

Living together with so many people from different backgrounds and lifestyles does create it challenges and problems, but it certainly also creates opportunities. To accommodate all this, there are the city infrastructure and the buildings, from housing, schools, offices, factories, shops, shopping malls, restaurants and hotels to informal structures and sheds. Public spaces like markets, parks, squares and bus stations play an important role in the organization of the city.

The symposium ‘Global city – local identity?’ will focus upon Dar es Salaam in the global perspective and is organised by the Goethe Institute and the Architects Association of Tanzania.

It provides a valuable platform for staging the exhibition ‘Stars of Dar’, introducing an overview of the city’s best architecture and public spaces and the opinions on these by key members of the Dar es Salaam society.

The exhibition, organised by the Architects Association of Tanzania, ARDHI University and African Architecture Matters, will enhance the debate on the quality of spaces and buildings and the meaning planning and architecture has for everyday city life.

Ten architects and ten public personalities from Dar es Salaam will present their favourite and/or remarkable buildings and will motivate their choice. Next to this, also the public will be heard through street interviews at 3 public spaces.

These components will be presented in an exhibition, developed and built by students of ARDHI University. The opening of the exhibition will be combined with a debate on the importance of public spaces and buildings and meaning for daily city life in Dar es Salaam.

The exhibition will be shown during the conference and after that in an exhibition space for a period of 2 weeks.

Media training by Daladala TV during the workshop

The workshop can be followed via http://starsofdar.tumblr.com. The blog will also present the end results which can later be used for developing an architectural map of Dar es Salaam.

More info on the symposium and related activities like the production of an architectural journal by a group of young architects and students with help from Camenzind can be found via http://www.goethe.de/ins/ts/dar/en7861885v.htm

Learning from Casablanca, Excursie en vakmatig uitwisselingsprogramma

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:41:00 +0200

Van zaterdag 29 oktober tot zondag 6 november 2011 organiseert African Architecture Matters in samenwerking met Casamemoire en ARCAM een reis naar Casablanca en Agadir in combinatie met deelname aan de 5^de African Perspectives conferentie, die plaatsvindt van 3 tot 5 november 2011 in Casablanca.

De reis is bedoeld voor professionals op het gebied van stedenbouw, architectuur en woningbouw (woningcorporaties, ontwikkelaars, beleidsmakers en architecten) en richt zich op de ontwikkelingen van de modernistische bouwprojecten van de jaren ‘40 ‘50 in Marokko. Ook uw Marokkaanse vakgenoten zullen deelnemen aan deze reis. Doelstelling is gezamenlijk kennis te nemen van de ontwikkelingen van deze eerste projecten van grootschalige woningbouw, die gekarakteriseerd worden door zeer inventieve, door bewoners zelf uitgevoerde en niet in deze mate geplande, transformatie. Toch lijken deze wijken nog steeds een prettige stedelijke omgeving te bieden. De reis beoogt te duiden wat daar aan ten grondslag ligt.

Voor beide steden staan bezoeken aan enkele van deze wijken op het programma onder leiding van Casamemoire, een organisatie die zich sterk maakt voor het behoud en onder de aandacht brengen van het architectonisch erfgoed van Casablanca. Verder bestaat het programma uit presentaties en mogelijkheden tot uitwisseling van ideeën, onder andere als onderdeel van de conferentie African Perspectives. In de internationale debattenreeks ‘Debates on Tour’ organiseren wij in samenwerking met het Nederlands Architectuur Instituut ronde tafel discussies over de ongeplande transformatie van stedelijke ruimte en de mate waarop hierop geanticipeerd kan worden.

De reis is onderdeel van een groter geheel waarbij getracht wordt door analyse van de ontwikkelingen in deze wijken te leren en inspiratie op te doen voor de ontwerpopgave waar we in Nederland, in Amsterdam maar ook in andere steden voor staan.

Het ligt in de bedoeling om in het voorjaar van 2012 een vervolgonderzoek op te zetten, bijvoorbeeld in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. De resultaten van dit onderzoek worden ism ARCAM gepresenteerd in juni 2012. (zie ook Planning Thriving Cities, a mutual economic and thematic exchange mission)

Het maximum aantal deelnemers voor deze reis is 25 inclusief de begeleiding. Indien u interesse heeft in deelname, neem dan gerust contact op met African Architecture Matters via office@aamatters.nl.

lezing over Blueprints of Paradise in het Afrika Museum voor Museumjaarkaarthouders

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:20:54 +0200

Sankofa Garden City Park van prijswinnaar Kobina Banning

Inventief, dynamisch en creatief, zo kun je veel Afrikaanse stadsbewoners karakteriseren. Middels 12 visies op de gebouwde toekomst van Afrika, ontwikkeld door Afrikaanse ontwerpers en kunstenaars, laat Blueprints of Paradise zien dat Afrika meer is dan wildparken, sloppenwijken, conflicten en natuurrampen. Sommige van de ontwikkelde ideeën zouden wel eens goed van pas kunnen komen in onze eigen steden en dorpen.

Op 17 juli en 11 september zal Berend van der Lans, directeur van African Architecture Matters en gastconservator van de tentoonstelling Blueprints of Paradise, een lezing houden voor Museumjaarkaarthouders in het Afrika Museum. Hij zal vertellen over de ideeën en mensen achter de inzendingen en de Afrikaanse steden waarvoor de plannen bedacht zijn. Voor kinderen is een parallelprogramma ontwikkeld. De lezingen starten om 14hr. Zie voor meer informatie en registratie www.afrikamuseum.nl of mail info@afrikamuseum.nl.

The Blueprints of Paradise exhibition in the Afrika Museum, Berg...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:57:00 +0200

The Blueprints of Paradise exhibition in the Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal (NL), during the well attended opening event on 9 April 2011. Many thanks to Infofilm, Leiden, for the great videos! Follow the debate ‘African Cities: problem or solution?’ via http://www.ustream.tv/channel/blueprints-of-paradise on 18 June, 15hrs.

The Blueprints of Paradise prize winners Kobina Banning, Oladayo...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:54:00 +0200

The Blueprints of Paradise prize winners Kobina Banning, Oladayo Oladunjoye and Martin Kruger introduce their entries, while chair of the jury Joe Addo reflects upon the competition and exhibition.

See this video of the award ceremony of Blueprints of Paradise...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:18:00 +0200

See this video of the award ceremony of Blueprints of Paradise on 9 April 2011 in the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal (NL). Follow the debate ‘African Cities: problem or solution? on 18 juni 15:00hrs via www.ustream.tv/channel/blueprints-of-paradise

Streaming of the debate ‘African Cities: problem or solution?’

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:47:26 +0200

If you can’t make it to Berg en Dal on 18 June, you are able to follow the debate via http://www.ustream.tv/channel/blueprints-of-paradise and contribute to the debate via Twitter with hashtag #BOP. Join us in real or virtual!

Debate ‘African Cities: problem or solution?’ and visit of the Blueprints of Paradise exhibition

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:45:00 +0200

18 June 2011 - 15:00hrs.
Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal (NL)

image from the entry Garden City Park from Kobina Banning

It is a pleasure to invite you for an introduction to the Blueprints of Paradise exhibition, developed by African Architecture Matters in collaboration with the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal, the Netherlands. You are welcome for a programme, organised with the Afrika Museum and ZAM magazine on 18 June from 14:30hrs. onwards. Please confirm your attendance through office@aamatters.nl. There is limited capacity for the event, so we advise you to be fast.

Programme
14:30 auditorium open
15:00 introductions and debate

Introduction June issue ZAM magazine by editor in chief Bart Luirink
Introduction to the exhibition by Berend van der Lans
Debate ‘African Cities: problem or solution?’ with some of the Blueprints participants, jury member Femke van Zeijl (moderation), Bart Luirink and Antoni Folkers

16:00 visit of the exhibition with curators Siebe Rossel (Afrika Museum) and Berend van der Lans
17:00 drinks at the restaurant ‘De Kleine Kalebas’

The exhibition is based upon the results of the competition ‘Blueprints of Paradise’, which invited African architects and artist to make proposals for the built future of Africa. An international and multi-disciplinary jury selected 12 projects to be presented in the exhibition, among which the prize winning projects. See more information on the competition and exhibition via http://aam-blueprintsofparadise.tumblr.com.

Many entries addressed the city and more precisely the multi-disciplinary way public space is used in African cities. The jury concluded that some of the solutions brought forward in the entries could provide fruitful inspiration for addressing planning challenges in western cities. A surprising statement, since in many western eyes African cities are synonymous for poverty and problems.

Based upon quotes and statements by the participants of the competition, the debate will touch upon the quality and challenges of life in African cities. Can African cities set an example for the rest of the world?

As mentioned above, please confirm your attendance via office@aamatters.nl, indicating your name(s), organization and phone number. Registered guests can enter the museum for a reduced entrance fee (€ 5,00 per person). If you are a Museumkaart holder, the museum entrance is free. You will find the Afrika Museum at Postweg 6, 6571 CS BERG EN DAL. (See for directions www.afrikamuseum.nl)

We look forward to seeing you on the 18th June!
Kind regards,

Antoni Folkers and Berend van der Lans
Directors African Architecture Matters

The special print of the artwork Mandela Landscape by Anton Corbijn and Berend Strik for ZAM international will be on show.

Information on the participants of the debate:

Femke van Zeijl is a Dutch freelance journalist and writer who focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa. She studied history at the University of Utrecht and then switched to the Academy for Journalism in Tilburg. She travels to the African continent several times a year, staying for prolonged periods of time in for instance the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Nigeria, Mozambique or Burkina Faso. From a socio- economic and cultural perspective she portrays people and their everyday lives, thus giving a human face to global developments. She writes for various Dutch newspapers and magazines and her work has been published in American, British and German media. In October 2010 her book Gin-tonic & Cholera on city life in Sub-Saharan Africa was launched, for which she stayed in six different cities all over the continent. In 2007 she published Een nacht in een vijzel, a book about the position of women in Africa. Visit also www.fvz-journaliste.nl

Bart Luirink lives in South Africa since 1993. He was correspondent for Dutch newspapers and radio stations. Also he contributed to magazines like Vrij Nederland, HP/De Tijd and Nieuwe Revu. Since 2004 he is editor in chief of ZAM Africa Magazine. He published among others Zingende pijnbomen, een kroniek van Amsterdam in Afrika (1996) and Moffies (1998). In 2008 he edited the collection Voor Nelson Mandela, Verhalen en voetnoten bij zijn negentigste verjaardag. With Madeleine Maurick he works on the struggle for homosexuals Africa. In 2010 his book Puur goud was launched, describing his experiences in South Africa.
www.bartluirink.nl

Antoni Folkers is an architect and urban designer. His professional career started as researcher and designer in Ouagadougou before joining the Institute for Tropical Building (IFT) of Dr G Lippsmeier in Starnberg, Germany. For Lippsmeier he became Resident Architect for East Africa in 1988. In 1992 he founded FBW Architects with Belinda van Buiten en Geoff Wilks [www.fbwarchitecten.nl]. The firm has won various awards for their innovative projects in the field of technology, culture and the public realm in African and Europe.
Antoni Folkers is co-founder of ArchiAfrika and published a wide range of articles and papers on architectural subjects. Recently (April 2010) he published two works on African architecture: Mtoni - Palace, Sultan & Princess of Zanzibar and Modern Architecture in Africa. The latter book, on his 25 years of building and research experience in Africa, was also subject of the PhD research under supervision of Wytze Patijn, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology.

Blueprints of Paradise awards presented at the Afrika Museum

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:04:00 +0200

In June 2010, the Afrika Museum and African Architecture Matters organised an international design contest for African architects and designers. They were asked to produce a blueprint for the Africa of the future. The 12 best designs are on show at the Afrika Museum in Nijmegen up to October 2011 as part of the Blueprints of Paradise exhibition. Last weekend, the exhibition opened and the winners received their awards.

(photo Afrika Museum)

Public space

The jury awarded a third prize (€2500) and a shared first prize (2 x €6250) to designers from South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. The organisation was surprised by the fact that the entrants did not focus on designing new buildings, but rather sought solutions to overcrowding in cities by redesigning the public space.

Village square in the city

Traditional African rural life revolves around market squares that are not only used for commercial purposes, but also for meetings and festivities. These meeting places, often in the shade of a big tree, give people the opportunity to participate in village life. The village market is basically a home for the entire community. In urban life, such a meeting place is lacking, says South Africa’s Martin Kruger. He made a short film depicting migration from rural areas to the city. The film shows the unique character of African public space to the catchy tunes of Miryam Makeba’s Pata Pata Song. His design entitled The African Agora as Generator landed Martin Kruger third prize in this contest.

Multifunctional street furniture

In order to prevent African cities from succumbing to total gridlock due to the proliferation of permanent buildings and reduced mobility, Oladayo Oladunjoye claims facilities are needed that can easily be moved elsewhere or used otherwise. His entry entitled Re-designing the Temporal Spaces stresses that public space is far too important to surrender it to ill-considered random usage. A life-size realisation of this shared first-prize winning project is on display as part of the exhibition.

Garden City

Kumasi, the old capital of the Ghanaian Ashanti kingdom, is home to West Africa’s busiest and largest market. This market is bursting at the seams and the commercial hustle and bustle is pouring into surrounding streets and neighbourhoods. Kobina Banning came up with a solution to this problem in a design that involved using a piece of wasteland right next to the market. This design merges western planning with African traditions. The plan entitled The Garden City has been fully tailored to the needs of people, and encompasses facilities for public transport, personal care, and relaxation. Nature plays a major part in this design, as Banning has selected a wide array of different kinds of plants to ensure the park is in bloom all year round. This overall project earned Banning first prize, which he shares with Oladayo Oladunjoye.

more information on the exhibition follows on this website soon!

(photo Afrika Museum)

The ‘Blueprints of Paradise’ exhibition at the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal will run through to 30 October 2011.

Afrika Museum, Postweg 6, Berg en Dal (close to Nijmegen)

Opening hours

Monday to Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 11am – 5pm