Why Design Matters
Lessons from the latest African Adventurers in the Diaspora
“Africa doesn’t always need to Westernize. We need to modernize.”
It was a quote from a creative director taking part in the audience at this month’s Adventurers in the Diaspora session in Accra that had the most significant impact. Amid discussions among panelists like Ghanaian fashion legend Kofi Ansah, eccentric designer Bea Arthur and architectural visionary Augustus Richardson, the idea of what design means for the future of this continent took shape.
Richardson was discussing the way in which he designs for the climate and culture that exists here in Ghana. His homes embrace the concept of nature, of a garden — the way God intended for us to live.
“God didn’t give us concrete buildings to live in. He threw Adam and Eve in a garden and let them thrive within nature.”
At a certain point, this idea had been prevalent in thinking about design in this country. But somehow over time, concrete and plaster in cookie cutter shapes became the norm, creating instead a land of massive barriers which only serve to separate people from the natural environment.
The dominant philosophy in this and other African nations seems to be the goal of moving toward Westernization. In many ways the design, the products, the way of speaking and acting has been highly influenced by Western culture. It’s the idea that it’s working for the Western world, that it’s the ideal, and therefore it’s what they should be striving to mimic on the African continent as well. But this thinking is severely limited and fails to take into account the bigger picture. It’s thinking in terms of a single story, a single perspective. What Africa needs is design that works for Africa. The innovations that were developed on US soil work for the climate and lifestyle we have. But this is not the same in the rest of the world. Africa, and each country within Africa for that matter, is unique and needs to be treated as such. It may be a result of the lingering effects colonial powers have had in these regions, the remaining influence of British and French ideals. Or perhaps it is the inhibitions often felt when pushing back on the conservative cultural perspectives found in these places.
The idea here is that more innovators like Richardson and Arthur are needed to push the boundaries which countries like Ghana have been setting for themselves. We can’t lose the artistic eccentricity and unique expression that have for so long been a part of this country’s identity. In the way that we continue to embrace innovations in fabric, color and fashion design, can we not embrace innovations in infrastructure, planning and even education that challenge Western norms rather than creeping ever closer toward them? These areas too are products of insightful design.
Africans, Ghanaians, are inherently different. What is needed is a modernization that takes into account these differences and the specific points of need, rather than turning this land into a carbon copy of expression found in the West. This point led to thinking around the Ghanaian education system — the idea of inspiring innovation and artistic expression from the start, challenging the staid British ideals of disciplinarian processes and stark rigidity that discourages individuality and often fails to expose younger generations to the bigger picture of what might be possible for their futures. It’s not as simple as imposing art programs in primary schools. Rather, what is needed is a massive change in behavior, in leadership and in values. What was once seen as essential to help build a rising nation may no longer be top priority. Rather, what is needed is innovation, is the institution of critical thinking around development of solutions, city planning and technological advancements that will inspire more future leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, whose innovations can still be felt in every reach of this country.
Thoughts around sanitation efforts came up in connection with this idea of education innovation. It’s true that existing washrooms particularly in rural regions are often far below sanitation standards, if they exist at all. Particularly in schools and hospitals, this issue is becoming dire. However there is little incentive to alleviate the issue as people often relieve themselves in the streets and gutters instead. It’s been noted particularly in coastal regions that people often entirely neglect toilets, instead defecating in the open ocean. While design of better waste facilities may serve as an incentive to use proper washrooms, what is needed first is education from childhood that discourages public defecation and enforces the need for washrooms. This may in turn create increased demand for the improvement and addition of these facilities in public places. But this is all of course contingent on stronger government planning to adequately generate and allocate funds for this purpose in all reaches of the country. It will undoubtedly be a long but fundamental road to sanitation improvement.
The core thought in this discussion was the idea that design is what matters in all of these issues. Design is innovative thinking. It’s problem solving. It’s the process of creating order out of chaos, or else working to contain that chaos in its rightful place. It’s avoiding anarchy. But it’s also personal and cultural expression and a reflection of values, of experience and insights into the future. Design is art, but it’s also structure. With proper nurture, it’s possible that we can see entirely new ways of thinking take shape among the millennial and future generations that may end up helping this continent shape its identity in a new and modern way.
