A Culture Catch Up Conversation
The Cathedral by Kofi Awoonor
“On this dirty patch
a tree once stood
shedding incense on the infant corn:
its boughs stretched across a heaven
brightened by the last fires of a tribe.
They sent surveyors and builders
who cut that tree
planting in its place
A huge senseless cathedral of doom.”
The third edition of our public history talks was ushered in by the powerful, resonant sounds of Sun-El Musician and our guest Courage Dziɖulā Kpodo opening up the conversation with this deeply introspective and solemn poem by the Ghanaian poet, author, and diplomat Kofi Awoonor.
These words laid the foundation for exploring the impact that space, both understood through the form of architecture and as an archival tool, vastly shapes our cultural heritage and our present-day lived experiences. With an audience spanning countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, and Italy – our most geographically diverse audience yet – the conversation between our head of research Mūthoni Mwangi, and Courage carried this same diverse scope in matters to do with the ways space is understood, shaped, and built.
The historical framing of this discussion was based upon the work of Postbox Ghana, a multi-directional research project that was founded by Courage, Manuela Nebuloni, and Nana Ofosu Adjei. Postbox Ghana defines itself as a time machine that uses vintage postcards and stamps as a method of exploring and understanding collective memory with the goal of making this visual material accessible. Through the lens of this archival work, Courage mapped out connections between the rise of tropical modernism, an architectural language adopted in different newly independent African states, and how this was a reflection of the Pan-African spirit in the 1960s.
Carrying the relevance of this important unified and vibrant spirit of the 60s towards the conversation that was taking place, he stated that,
“I think in many ways we are at a certain point where because of technology, because of digital heritage, of social media, etc. we are beginning to have those conversations again…we are not so far apart from each other. We are thinking about the same things, we have the same struggles, we have the same issues, [and] we have the same hopes. So for me now that we are at that stage that we are able to have this conversation, we need to know what was done before and need to understand it and interrogate it very deeply.”
The conversation then moved into the realm of understanding the formation of national identities and the necessity of finding ways in which one can transcend imposed imperial borderlines. Courage again reiterated the importance of engaging with history and archives which exist as rich spaces and sites that provide internal reflection.
“Now that we are at a stage where we are beginning to think anew about what our identities are, we really need to understand what was done so that we don’t make the same mistakes but also so we can draw lessons.”
In the vibrant question and answer session of the discussion some interesting questions emerged:
- In a world of Pinterest and global influence in architectural design, how can African culture(s) thrive in space-making and help build truly contextual space?
- What problems do architects and planners face when they try to include traditional African ways of building in modern projects?
- How can we hold our governments more accountable when it comes to thinking about the construction/maintenance of public space?
With much clarity offered in his answers, Courage created a sense of hope regarding the future of this work, and celebrated African architects Diébédo Francis Kéré and Mariam Issoufou Kamara who are creatively engaging with the notion of space both in its practical and theoretical forms.
