African Modernism: The Architecture of Independence. Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Zambia

by Manuel Herz (Editor)

Paperback, 2015

Status

Available

Call number

720.96

Genres

Art & Design

History

Nonfiction

Publication

Park Books (2015), 640 pages

Description

"In the 1950s and 1960s most African countries gained their independence. Architecture became one of the principal means by which the young nations expressed their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, convention centers, universities and independence memorials were built with often heroic and daring designs. This book investigates for the first time the relationship between architecture and nation building in Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Zambia. It features around eighty buildings with descriptive texts, photographs, site plans and selected floor plans and sections. The images, commissioned especially for this book, are contributed by renowned photographers Iwan Baan and Alexia Webster."--Page [4] of cover.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member archidose

Although the size of a coffee table book and graced by full-page Iwan Baan photographs, "African Modernism" is a deep, scholarly work, not just something to flip through. Focused on the five subtitled African countries that gained their independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s (5 of 32

countries on the continent that did so), the book examines how architecture played a role in expressing their independence and modernity. Each country is given an introduction, a timeline, a photo spread by Baan, documentation of important buildings in photos (most by Baan) and words, and an in-depth academic essay. Though many buildings show signs of wear (not surprising, given the time between their realization and today), the architectural quality is astounding. That the buildings in the book are largely unknown points to a deficit in architectural education and publishing — and the need for more books like this one and David Adjaye's "Africa Architecture."

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