Antoni Scholtens Folkers has the pleasure of inviting you to the defence of his doctoral thesis: ‘Modern Architecture in Africa’. The public defence of his thesis will take place on Friday March 18, 2011 at 10:00a.a. in the 'Senaatszaal’, Aula, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 5, Delft. Prior to the defence Antoni Folkers will give a short lecture on his thesis at 9:30a.m.. After the graduation ceremony there will be a reception. You are cordially invited to attend the ceremony. Supervisor: Prof. ir. W. Patijn

Our cities are planned to detail. Urban plans foresee an end product, a final stage. The reality is different, causing friction. Everything changes over time, so do the demands on the built environment. We need to address this and incorporate flexibility to allow for spontaneous developments. Aerosol art works are often the first signs of this friction in our city scapes. Can aerosol art be instrumental? Does its bottom up origin legitimate it being a useful indicator? What meaning can Aerosol art give to the people, to the built environment? Does it allow for participatory trajectories and can it improve the social consistency in the city? What can architects, city planners and policy makers learn from it? Speakers among others are Saquab Ashraf and Ike Ijeh (Blackstone Architects, UK), Abderrahim Kassou (Casamemoire, Morocco), Benjamin Benrakad, Martin Travers and Mohammed Ali, moderation by Afaina de Jong, editor of the publication For The People By The People. Date: 27 September 2012 location: Van Eesteren Museum, Amsterdam Nieuw West more information on event and registration #art

Be aware, the presentation at the University of Nairobi of inclusive urban development is taking place on 18 April and not 19, as was mistakenly announced. See also below post. We hope to welcome many of you.

PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE OF VENUE! Vlaams Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond - Nes 43 Amsterdam The Prince Claus Fund, together with African Architecture Matters, invite you for an evening with Malian film-maker and scholar Manthia Diawara and Ghanaian architect and chair of the ArchiAfrika network Joe Osae Addo. Manthia Diawara will present his new book, African Film: New Forms of Aesthetics and Politics, as well as his film Maison Tropicale. Manthia Diawara is former jury member of the Prince Claus Awards and director of the Africana Studies Program at the New York University. Following the screening of Maison Tropicale, there will be an public discussion about Ownership and Belonging in African Art, Architecture and Film. When: Thursday October 28 Where: Vlaams Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond - Nes 43 Amsterdam Time: 19.00 hrs Admission: free Programme: 19.30 hrs Introduction by Els van der Plas, Director of the Prince Claus Fund and Manthia Diawara 19.45 hrs Screening of Maison Tropicale 20.45 hrs Discussion Manthia Diawara and Joe Osae Addo 21.15 hrs End of programme, drinks Click here to register (there is a limited amount of seats available) The evening will be organised by the Prince Claus Fund in cooperation with African Architecture Matters and the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal. -missing pic- Still from Maison Tropicale, showing (left) director Manthia Diawara and (right) Mireille Ngatsé, a former owner of the Maison Tropicale in Brazzaville. Maison Tropicale was shown at the Portugese pavilion at the 2007 Venice biennale (Courtesy Manthia Diawara/Maumaus) About Maison Tropicale The Maison Tropicale, was a house designed by architect and designer Jean Prouvé between 1949 and 1951. The prefabricated aluminium structures were modular, made to be flat-packed, constructed and dismantled with ease. They were intended to address the shortage of housing in the French colonies of West Africa, but only three prototypes were ever made. Manthia Diawara’s 58-minute documentary Maison Tropicale (2008) takes its starting point in another artist’s work: Ângela Ferreira’s project about these buildings, shown in the Portuguese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007. Through interviews with Ferreira, the people she meets, government officials, residents and former owners of the properties in the Republic of the Congo and Niger, Diawara examines notions of cultural patrimony and illuminates issues surrounding African identity and art within the context of post-colonial debate and the legacy of Modernism. Les Maisons Tropicales were removed from Africa in 2000, bearing the scars of general neglect and civil war. Subsequently returned to France, restored, then exhibited in the USA and Europe, they were sold for millions of dollars, a far cry from their original utopian function and social context. -missing pic- Cover of the book ‘African Film’ The publication focuses on new trends in African cinemas from the 1990s to the present. Afro-pessimism has given way to a new self-confidence, paired with a departure from ideological constraints such as social realism or nationalism. -missing pic- The Prince Claus Fund: Culture is a Basic Need The Prince Claus Fund actively seeks international cultural collaborations with partners of excellence in spaces of need. The Prince Claus Fund provides immediate cultural rescue as well as support to sustainable cultural processes. It takes initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of culture in everyday life and for development. The Fund works in the spirit of Prince Claus’ belief that one cannot develop people, but people develop themselves. The Prince Claus Fund is based in Amsterdam and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. -missing pic- The Afrika Museum discloses traditional and contemporary African art, and building and housing in Africa and African societies. The museum’s inspiring presentations and special activities allow a wide range of visitors to get acquainted with the wealth of Africa’s various cultures.

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.

During a conference in Accra from 1-3 June, organized by ArchiAfrika and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the ArchiAfrika educational network was launched: the fourteen gathered architecture schools from all regions of the African continent decided to work together to develop excellence among the next generation professionals in the African built environment. (photo AA Accra) The parties agreed that strategies to address the challenges in the African built environment should be developed from within the continent, in a cross disciplinary and cross cultural dialogue, including the excelling contemporary architects of Africa in the activities. A committee, existing of Mr. Benabdeljalil and Prof. George Intsiful (KNUST – Ghana), Prof. Aletta Steenkamp (University of Cape Town – South Africa) and Dr. Lawrence Esho (Kenya Polytechnic University College), will elaborate a programme consisting of international lecture series using new technologies, innovative workshops, trainee and summer school programmes for staff and students. African Architecture Matters in the person of Berend van der Lans was supportive to the event in assisting in programming, coordination, communication etc., while Antoni Folkers produced a report for the NAi platform. Read more via the websites of ArchiAfrika, Archnet and Modern Ghana among others. #education #Architecture

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