The African Architectural Narrative
An Essay on How Gaining an Understanding of Vernacular Architecture Is Intrinsic to The Progression of a More Socially, Culturally and Environmentally Responsive Architecture.
Colonialism has made a significant impact on the various narratives across the African continent. The histories of many countries are not simply viewed along a continuous progression of time and interactions with foreign cultures but are rather shaped by the periods marked by the confinement of the indigenous by the foreign. They are marked as the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. Each of these stages marking significant changes in the presence of the various architectural styles and urban ideologies present.
The confinement of the multitude of African vernacular styles to the infantilized narrative of being inferior during the colonial period could be described as perhaps the darkest period in the continent’s architectural development. It reduced the architectural prowess of the various kingdoms to a narrative of being substandard, outdated, temporary and for the impoverished. Thus, systematically erasing the history of the indigenous African architectural style and diminishing any chances for the natural progression of the various architectural styles and building techniques. It denied people of their collective identities and systematically perpetuated a culture of “state sanctioned censorship on historical narratives across the continent.”[1]
The current state of architecture across the continent thus exists as a “disconnect between the kind of architecture that is designed and the societies it is designed for.”[2] Misguided conceptions informed by western models of progress and development were unsustainable and inappropriate. The imported design principles and construction methods, “were not contextually relevant to the social realities of the continent.”[3] It resulted in the abandonment of the vernacular to the underprivileged and the adoption of western standards of construction and design to those who could afford and aspired to be closer to whiteness.
Such perverted expectations of modernity saw the erasure of the vernacular style. Local materials were forgotten and replaced by concrete blocks and aluminium roofs. Buildings were no longer defined by “shared qualities of sustainability, sculptural beauty and community participation,”[4] but rather turned towards being single-use and low density; defined by western principles of zoning. Such principles fractured the ever-present social ideas of the family unit and began to break down a sense of community in the way such architecture was set up.
With the rise of a cultural renaissance across the continent, it is only safe to say that the architectural styles of the past have waited long enough for their re-emergence. They exist as people reveal and reflect on their painful pasts and histories; unlearning behaviours that have taught them to look down on their own cultures, to view them as inferior and on unequal playing fields. Behaviours that have confined the narrative of the indigenous people to one that is incapable of being technologically advanced and civilized. People are beginning to learn that Africa’s urban ideology doesn’t have to be “built on the singular premise of keeping out of sight the poor, the unsightly and everything that reminds it of its difficult past.”[5] But rather, they are embracing the very scars that makes up the identities of the various cultures today and reflect upon the principles that allow buildings to be physical manifestations of cultures and locales.
It is through learning about the “shared qualities of sustainability, sculptural beauty and community participation”[6] that we see an active engagement with the African architectural past. The emergence of Afrofuturistic vernacular forms within movies such as Black Panther has created a wave of influence over the mindsets of people. The vernacular is no longer something to be ashamed of, but something that is just as capable of being as technologically advanced as the now developed building practices of other cultures. With such forms of agency, and an ownership of one’s past, African architects are now able to reconnect to the very same design principles that were long lost and forgotten; the very same design principles that are now believed to enable a more socially cohesive living environment.
The emergence of architecture firms like Kere Architecture (Burkina Faso), Orkidstudio (Kenya), Atelier Masomi (Niger) and Orthner Orthner and Associates (Ghana) amongst many others have shown how an understanding of the use of local materials is intrinsic to the progression of a more socially, culturally and environmentally responsive architecture.
For some, their high social impact endeavours re-introduce the long-forgotten forms of grassroots architectural design. They describe their practices through engaging with architecture as a social act, and how it can ultimately be “a vehicle for collective expression and empowerment through supporting the educational, cultural and civic needs of local communities with provocative and dignifying design.”[7] Their engagement with local resources and communities in implementing such architectural spaces sees how being actively engaged in the design and construction process is a powerful tool for affecting social change. They are on a mission to “research, build and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity.”[8] And as Mass Design Group so aptly put it, they see “architecture as a mechanism that projects its values far beyond the building’s wall and into the lives of communities and people. To acknowledge that architecture has this agency and power is to acknowledge that buildings, and the industry that erects them, are as accountable for injustices as they are critical levers to improve the communities they serve.”[9]
An understanding of the vernacular and how such spaces were built on the various social and cultural structures present in the past is intrinsic towards achieving an architecture that is more responsive towards African social structures. Such design principles are intrinsic to introducing more socially cohesive environments, ones that begin to look beyond the self -motivated aims of people but rather refocus their attentions towards exploring how they exist within various social and cultural contexts. In such instances, we begin to see “conceptions of space as being informed by society and culture as much as the apparently objective qualities of the built environments.”[10] It thus begins to reintroduce the idea of how social customs can shape the way a space is utilized. A consideration that has long been neglected in the African architectural psyche; resulting in a fragmented sense of community.
Through the various endeavours to engage in the creation of an architecture and urban environment that is more contextually relevant to the social realities of the continent, the use of local materials, which has been aided through research on the vernacular has proven to be incredibly insightful into creating a more locally responsive architecture. The stigma and negative perceptions attached to such materials have not made it an easy route for the African Architect. Mariam Kamara of Atelier Masomi reflects on this by exploring how being an African architect who endeavours to create a more socially responsive architecture does not practice without risks. She says, “it appears that the challenge of being an African architect in Africa, is that we are expected to provide people with very good Western, imitation houses, offices, schools, etc. When we try to be more contextual, as we should, we are either turned down or it is believed that the whole thing must have had a “first world hand in it… How then, as African architects can we convince people on the ground that we mean business, that we are just as competent, and that we can provide real solutions to local problems? That the answers lie within ourselves, not in the mind of someone who knows little to nothing about us?”[11]
Solutions pertaining to the vernacular, particularly within the realm of contemporary architectural practice and the wider social and economic contexts within which the profession exists do not necessarily aim to revive or duplicate it in the contemporary African architectural arena. But rather, architects and designers, have begun to show how the usage of knowledge from that forgotten past could be used as a socially liberating tool. One that has the potential to uplift and empower people through actively engaging with their histories and customs.
A much wider and holistic understanding of the vernacular has come through interactions with various communities and social structures; thus, showing how gaining an understanding of the vernacular is not something that is limited to the architect. Architecture has historically and is still being viewed as a luxury; as something that isn’t accessible to the masses or in some cases viewed as unnecessary. The integration of community participation in the ever-increasing number of design- build firms has shown how design can be accessible and is something that should be available to all. The maintenance of the same grassroots forms of design and construction as seen in the above-mentioned firms like Kere Architects and Orkidstudio allows architecture and design to be in the hands of every person. That they too are allowed a say in the design of high quality and dignified space. Spaces that are truly informed by knowledge of the customs and practices that will no doubt shape the way they are formed. Such genuine interests in the responsibility of architecture towards the various social and economic contexts in which it exists has truly restructured the position of the architect within various social groups, not only in just the African context but worldwide.
Despite the increasing number of discussions on the vernacular, knowledge of it and gaining access to it is not easy. As a student who is highly invested in my cultural heritage and how it is represented on the wider architectural platform, learning about the history of African architecture became something that I had to actively pursue. The lack of education on African architectural history across all architectural curriculums has lent to a culture of thinking of African architecture as an afterthought.
To understand the various contexts in which African architecture exists, how then does gaining knowledge of the vernacular become more accessible. With Architectural education that is incredibly Western-centric, the African Architectural Student learns just as little as say a student studying in the West. Mathias Agbo Jr reflects on the issues pertaining to how Architectural Education in Africa is rooted in cultural Imperialism. He says, the aim is to introduce “Afro-centric curriculums that are contextually relevant to the social realities of the continent and also acknowledge all the prevailing exigencies of its local economies, culture, climate and urban fabric.”[12]
The role of the African architect today is to explore how the African architectural identity exists along the global platform amongst which architecture is ever increasingly present. Questions arise such as is there much room for an African vernacular architecture renaissance given rapid rates of urban expansion? Or are our conceptions of what the African architecture should be too tied to the colonial past.
As an aspiring architect wanting to explore a uniquely African architecture, my experiences from working in Kenya and living in both Nigeria and Egypt have shown how the African architect serves many roles within society. A wider regard for the role of architecture in raising the standard of living has not only resulted in an increased trend in the procurement of more contextually relevant architecture, but a greater appreciation of legislative frameworks in ensuring professionalism and a responsibility towards society. Discussions on the African Architectural narrative are still at their infancy. There is much more to be explored on how Africa is confined to the narrative of being a homogeneous whole and how it has subsequently affected discussions on architecture. It is something we are all guilty of and hopefully endeavour to rectify. Emancipating the mind is the first step in truly accessing an architecture that is engaged with its current social and economic contexts.
[1] Mathias Agbo, “Why African Vernacular Architecture is Overdue for a Renaissance,” ArchDaily, February 20, 2018,
https://www.archdaily.com/889350/why-african-vernacular-architecture-is-overdue-for-a-renaissance.
[2] Mathias Agbo, “The Problem with Architectural Education in Africa is rooted in Cultural Imperialism,” Common Egde, March 4, 2018,
[3] Agbo, “Africa.”
[4] “Butabu,” Afritecture, Accessed February 16, 2019,
http://www.afritecture.org/architecture/butabu.
[5] Mathias Agbo, “The Tragic Human Cost of Africa’s New Megacities,” ArchDaily, May 24, 2017,
https://www.archdaily.com/872025/the-tragic-human-cost-of-africas-new-megacities.
[6] Afritecture, “Butabu.”
[7] “Office,” About Us, Kere Architecture, accessed March 3, 2019,
http://www.kere-architecture.com/about/.
[8] “About,” Mass Design Group, accessed March 3, 2019,
https://massdesigngroup.org/about.
[9] Mass, “About.”
[10] Tim Livsey, Nigeria’s University Age: Reframing Decolonization and Development, (London, England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), 65,
https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/book/10.1057%2F978-1-137-56505-1.
[11] Mariam Kamara, “Being an African Architect in Africa,” Atelier Masomi, February 20, 2017,
http://www.ateliermasomi.com/blog/post_id-4.
[12] Agbo, “Africa.”
