On the 15th of February 2021 the Blueprint for Majestic Cinema project funded by Culture at Work Africa and co-funded by the European Union was officially concluded. The end of the project coincided with the official campaign launch of the Majestic Culture Hub initiative and marks an important turning point in the long-standing collaboration between Zanzibar’s leading cultural and social operators: Busara Promotions, (Re)claim Women Space, Zanzibar International Film Festival and Hifadhi Zanzibar Ltd. The overall aim of the project was to gain an in-depth understanding of the social, historical and cultural importance of the Majestic Cinema, create a brand for the culture hub and prepare draft documents that will guide the future restoration of the cinema building. AAmatters contributed to the historical research and the development of a tentative programme for the building and an operational strategy for its future use. The campaign to restore the Majestic Cinema and repurpose it as a culture hub was officially endorsed by the Hon. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Madam Leila Muhamed Mussa on the 15th of February during the Majestic Culture Hub event and exhibition. With the support of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Hifadhi Zanzibar Ltd. and the rest of the partners continue the work to ensure that this important part of Zanzibar’s heritage serves the community in the future. You can read more about the Majestic Culture Hub on its website and follow the initiative on the FB page. https://majestichub.co.tz/ & https://www.facebook.com/MajesticCultureHubZanzibar Culture at Work has also prepared an online catalogue showcasing the projects realised as a part of their grant where you can get a glimpse of the event and listen to a short audio on cinema in Stone Town prepared by the students from KAWA Training Centre in Zanzibar: https://www.cultureatworkafrica.art/room5-en All pictures courtesy of Hifadhi Zanzibar Ltd. Video by Sam Kaka

We are excited to invite you to join our session during the RISE Africa 2021 Action Festival to create an imaginary playground with us! The Rise Africa Action Festival is a week of online sessions organized by ICLEI Africa around various intersecting themes. It is a collaborative platform for African actors and enthusiasts engaged in the urban space to exchange ideas and promising practices, with the vision to inspire and enable impactful and inventive action for sustainable, resilient African cities. AAMatters together with IRIX architects are hosting one of these sessions in which participants are invited to develop an imaginary playground in Zanzibar and discuss key themes such as design tools, methods and materials through a fun role play activity. This session will not only explore new ideas, but will also bring to attention issues and challenges that we might encounter during our upcoming project launch. We want to enable community actors to transform their surroundings and to become an essential part of making the city. Currently playgrounds are either non-existing or pre-fabricated, gender biased and uninviting. We believe children need safe spaces to play, an environment that stimulates curiosity, develop skills and express creativity. Participants are invited to develop a playground and discuss key themes such as design tools, methods and materials through a fun role play activity. This session will not only explore new ideas, but will also bring to attention issues and challenges that we might encounter during our upcoming project launch. Join our session on Thursday 27th of May 13:30 - 14:30 (GMT +2) Download the full program: Are you ready for some roleplaying fun? For more information about the RISE Africa Festival click here. For more information about our session click here! To register and join our session please follow this link. Follow us on our social media for further updates We hope to see you next week!

Due to the latest Covid-19 related measures all activities in the Amstelkerk have been postponed until further notice. A tough, but necessary decision. Then again, city-making doesn’t stop here, and we’ll hopefully be able to share some exciting news with you soon. If you want to keep yourself updated, you can subscribe to our e-mail updates by sending an email to hiergebeurthet@stadsherstel.nl, or keep an eye on the website of Stadsherstel. And of course, AAmatters will also make sure to keep you informed! It happens here. Is an initiative of Stadsherstel Amsterdam, African Architecture Matters, Space&Matter, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and the City of Amsterdam. #exhibition #Culture #IntangibleHeritage #Zanzibar #Amsterdam #diy #Participatory #UrbanPlanning #Placemaking #HistoricUrbanLandscape

Can you plan do-it-yourself culture? How do you design a street with the entire neighbourhood? And how do you renew a city without losing the old one? Discover how to make a city together at ‘It happens here.’. ’It happens here.’ is a 30-day long manifestation that celebrates initiative, experiment and interaction in urban planning. With an exhibition and a diverse programme in the monumental Amstelkerk in Amsterdam. Discover how citizens, pioneers, countercultures, architects and city planners are making the new city together. By giving space to self-building and unplanned renewal and by recognising the value of what is originally there, inhabitants remain owners of ‘their’ city. Part of the exhibition was presented last year in South Korea at The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, now having its premiere in the Netherlands. For the occasion, the theme 'Free space' has been added. Next to the exhibition there is a topical programme on three Thursday nights - with speakers, interventions and workshops. The Ng’ambo Atlas presentation showcases Ng’ambo’s rich cultural landscape, revealed through story-telling, community mapping and historical research, undertaken as part of the development of the Local Area Plan for Ng’ambo. The Plan guides the area’s transformation into the new city centre of Zanzibar Town and was developed by the Government of Zanzibar, the City of Amsterdam and African Architecture Matters. ’It happens here.’ is an initiative of Stadsherstel Amsterdam, African Architecture Matters, Space&Matter, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and the City of Amsterdam. The space between the beaten tracks is where it happens. Come by and wander through the stories of the collective city. We happily welcome you in the Amstelkerk from October 19th to November 15th. It happens here. October 19th to November 15th Amstelkerk Amsterdam Opening hours exhibition: Monday to Saturday 12:00 - 17:00 Free admission For reservations and programme updates, please send an email to: hiergebeurthet@stadsherstel.nl #exhibition #Culture #IntangibleHeritage #Zanzibar #Amsterdam #diy #Participatory #UrbanPlanning #Placemaking #HistoricUrbanLandscape

In March this year Rwanda Arts Initiative (RAI) in collaboration with BOZAR (B) and AAmatters organised the International Forum on Cultural Spaces in Kigali, Rwanda. The forum brought together local cultural, public and private sectors as well as international experts and representatives from cultural spaces in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, DRC and more, to discuss an action plan to improve the cultural infrastructure in Kigali and Rwanda, at large. In connection with the forum and for further inspiration, an international student workshop was organised to develop adaptive reuse proposals for the Kigali Central Prison and the Ecole Belge. Both sites have recently been abandoned and are in perfect locations for multi-purpose cultural spaces. Students from the University of Rwanda, Uganda Martyrs University and the University of Cape Town worked day and night to feed the discussions with their bright ideas. As a follow up to the forum RAI is currently working together with AAmatters and Laura Nsengiyumva on the mapping of cultural spaces in Kigali. A publication on the event and mapping will be available in 2020. The Innovation Village in Kigali compiled an insightful video on the event, which you can watch here. #Culture #Kigali #mapping #forum #culturalspaces #Event

Mahonda , currently a small agricultural village north of Zanzibar Town, is planned to grow into a regional centre catering for a population of around 20,000 souls in 2035, according to the National Spatial Development Strategy developed by the Zanzibar Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) in 2015. As one of the many new urban developments initiated on the Unguja Island, Mahonda was chosen as a case study for a workshop aiming to test the adaptive planning principles developed in the book To Build a City in Africa: A History and a Manual (Nai010, 2019). This gave Rachel Keeton, the co-author of the book and a PhD researcher at the Delft University of Technology the chance to put theory in practice, so to say. The workshop took place from 21 – 27 September 2019. Its programme was developed by the DoURP in collaboration with Play the City and AAmatters. Play the City (a global practice that supports public and private parties on large scale development projects through city gaming) was responsible for the participatory process while AAmatters brought in its know-how on the development of planning documents in Zanzibar and provided context insights. The ‘Play Mahonda’ session counting 48 participants from the village, intensively ‘playing Mahonda’ under the stimulating guidance of Cristina Ampatzidou, was the highlight of the weeklong work. ‘Play Mahonda’ was followed by design sessions with the DoURP team, combined with expert presentations by Priscila Izar (Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam) on ‘Exploring Urbanisation from the Ground: the Experiences from Dar es Salaam’, Simone Rots (INTI) on ‘Sites and Services approaches’, Anteneh Tola (TU Delft) on ‘New Towns in Rural Areas with BuraNEST (Ethiopia) as example’ and Igor Pessoa (TU Delft) on ‘Participatory Planning Processes’. Although the course of events as well as the outcomes of the workshop brought a lot of surprises, much could be learned about the participatory planning process forming its backbone and Mahonda as a settlement. The workshop also brought to light residents’ interesting visions for the future of their village. Certainly an inspiring starting point for the impending development of the Local Area Plan for Mahonda. The events were made possible with the support of EFL Foundation, Delft Global Initiative and the DoURP. #Workshop #Planning #UrbanPlanning #Participatory #UrbanDevelopment #Zanzibar

25 years ago, the conference and landmark publication ‘Africa and the Disciplines’ reflected upon Africa’s position in relation to selected academic disciplines, questioning its apparent marginal position within them and highlighting continent’s contribution to the emergence of new subjects and ideas in the respective fields. The Centre for African Studies of the University of Basel decided the time was ripe to look at the matter again to find out what new insights have emerged in the fields since the seminal conference. This will be done during a two day long conference including four, interactive and interdisciplinary, plenary sessions with ‘paired conversations’ between two scholars from a particular discipline. We are honoured to take part in the event through Berend van der Lans’ contribution to the conversation on Urban Studies. Please find more information on the event and registration in the Programme. #Event #Conference #Interdisciplinary #UrbanStudies

Throughout its existence African Architecture Matters has managed to build up a substantial library on subjects related to African architecture and urban environment. Most of our collection was acquired by Antoni Folkers who, together with Antie Kaan - De Nobel , was the caretaker of the library located in Utrecht until recently. Over the past two years large parts of our collection (including the Coen Beeker and Georg Lippsmeier Collection) have been handed over to the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal in the belief that the institution is better suited to make it accessible to a wider public. Fortunately for us, many titles have also made their way to our library in the African Architecture Matters’ office in Amsterdam where they can now be enjoyed by anyone interested upon earlier appointment. You can get in touch with us by sending an email to: office@aamatters.nl. To learn more about the library of the Canadian Centre for Architecture click here. #Library #Books #Education #Amsterdam

Almost a month ago the Seoul Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism opened with a bang, although a little bit disturbed by the typhoon Lingling. The theme of the 2019 edition of the Biennale was Collective Cities leading the long-term collaborators Amsterdam and Zanzibar to present their take on this in a joint exhibition. Following ‘Urban Heritage Inc.’, an international conference hosted in Amsterdam in April 2011, Amsterdam and Zanzibar engaged in a project which looked at their respective World Heritage Sites as springboards for management of urban change. The cooperation was mutually beneficial and interesting differences came to the fore. Amsterdam learned to acknowledge the importance of intangible aspects and organic city development whereas Zanzibar embraced a long-term strategic and integrated approach. At the Seoul Biennale, Amsterdam presents how on a former industrial site, new collectives create added value for a socially and environmentally sustainable city, whereas Zanzibar presents a strategic plan for the future of Ng’ambo based on a mapping of collective stories of the neighbourhood. The collaboration between Zanzibar and Amsterdam led to a Local Area Plan for Ng’ambo, a culturally and historically rich area just outside of UNESCO World Heritage Site Stone Town. The area is designated to become the new city centre of Zanzibar Town. With use of the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach, the plans take the socio-cultural qualities of the area as their starting point. Next to the Local Area Plan the project resulted in the Ng’ambo Atlas that is presenting the cultural richness of the area in its full glory. For the Seoul Biennale the atlas is translated into a small but comprehensive exhibition, including a 3D version of the Atlas with multiple layers to explore. We thank the Municipality of Amsterdam for the collaboration and support to make this possible, as well as our project partners from the Commission of Lands in Zanzibar. We are also grateful for the good collaboration with the Seoul Biennale organisation, who were crucial in putting the elements together. The Seoul Biennale runs from 7 September until 10 November 2019. The programme can be found at their website. The Zanzibar exhibition can be found at the Cities Exhibition at the Donuimun Museum Village. We are curious about your feedback! #exhibition #Culture #IntangibleHeritage #Zanzibar #Amsterdam #Biennale #Seoul

Mid-July, on the 13th to be exact, The Ng’ambo Atlas came a full circle and was finally presented to the audience in Zanzibar. The book presentation took place in the beautiful setting of Kiponda 742 building (Hifadhi Zanzibar’s recent acquisition) and was led by the Director of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Dr. Muhammad Juma. The Minister of Information, Tourism and Heritage, the Hon. Mahmoud T. Kombo received the first copy of the atlas and gave a thoughtful, engaging and at times humorous speech on the importance of culture for the future development of Zanzibar. We are proud to be part of this amazing process and look forward to the new projects ahead of us, some of which - like the presentation at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2019 - are offshoots of the work we did for the Atlas. For those who couldn't make it to the event, the Ng'ambo Atlas exhibition will be on display in the Kiponda building until the end of September, you can visit the building throughout the day or have a look at the exhibition while attending one of the events taking place there. Please check Hifadhi Zanzibar's Facebook page for news on events. Thanks to Rahim Saggaf (black& white), Berend van der Lans and Alexandra Papadaki for the photos, great memories to keep and share with others. #Culture #Research #Publication #IntangibleHeritage #heritage #Zanzibar #HistoricUrbanLandscape #Book #Event

Tomorrow we are presenting the Ng’ambo Atlas at the African Perspectives +12 Conference at TU Delft. The presentation is open to the public, come and join us in Berlagezaal 1, at 13:30 if you are around. ----------------- About the conference: African Perspectives on Planning, Design and Construction for Inclusive, Fair and Sustainable Urbanisation The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the TU Delft (Bouwkunde) has a vision for strengthening ties with researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and citizens in the African continent. Bouwkunde wishes to have a positive impact on African’s rapid urbanisation in the next decades. Africa is urbanising at record rates and there are many challenges ahead. According to the World Bank, Africa’s urban population stands at 472 million people today, but this number will double over the next 25 years, reaching 1 billion urban dwellers by 2040. Read more here. #Presentation #Book #conference #Urbanplanning

The Ng’ambo Atlas. Historic Urban Landscape of Zanzibar Town’s ‘Other Side’ is available for free from African Studies Centre Leiden digital library. To download the book follow the link. ----------------- Book details: Ng’ambo is the lesser known ‘Other Side’ of Zanzibar Town. During the British Protectorate the area was designated as the ‘Native Quarters’, today it is set to become the new city centre of Zanzibar’s capital. Local and international perceptions of the cultural and historical importance of Ng’ambo have for a long time remained overshadowed by the social and cultural divisions created during colonial times. One thing is certain: despite its limited international fame and lack of recognition of its importance, Ng’ambo has played and continues to play a vital role in shaping the urban environment of Zanzibar Town. This atlas presents over hundred years of Ng’ambo’s history and urban development through maps, plans, surveys and images, and provides insights into its present-day cultural landscape through subjects such as architecture, toponymy, cultural activities, public recreation, places for social interaction, handcrafts and urban heritage. Ng’ambo Atlas. Historic Urban Landscape of Zanzibar Town’s ‘Other Side’ documents the material collected through the heritage-based urban planning project Ng’ambo Tuitakayo! carried out by the Government of Zanzibar in collaboration with African Architecture Matters and City of Amsterdam and under the auspices of UNESCO. Sneak preview of the publication: The Ng’ambo Atlas hardback can be purchased here. #Culture #Research #Publication #IntangibleHeritage #heritage #Zanzibar #HistoricUrbanLandscape #Book #Event