Building Africa explores the relationship between architecture and politics. It tells stories about presidential palaces, courts, parliaments, a school, a sports stadium, airports and the African Union building itself and explains how they build political institutions and identities around the continent.
The exhibition is based on findings from a five-year research project at SOAS, which has been interpreted by design-teams from Ethiopia, South Africa and Ghana, each one producing an installation that explores local responses to the buildings. These installations were originally exhibited in Addis Ababa, Johannesburg and Accra. They come together now to show how complex and often fraught political ideas are played out through architecture and popular responses to it.
Dates and opening hours
11 January – 16 March 2024
10.30am-5.00pm, Tuesday-Saturday
Late opening until 8.00pm on Thursdays
Brunei Gallery, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1B 5DQ
ADMISSION IS FREE
Exhibition events
Alongside the exhibition we are running a series of free public talks on topics on Politics and Architecture in Africa. They are all in the Brunei Gallery at SOAS.
Events are all free but you need to register for the talks (see links below).
25 Jan Nora Naji ‘Paradise lost? Shielding an island’s “outsiders” in Lamu County’s
last safe haven’. 17.00-19.00, Room B103, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration
8 Feb Tomà Berlanda ‘The languages of contemporary architecture in Sub-Saharan
Africa: 1960-2020’.17.00 -19.00, Room B103,Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration
15 Feb Brook Hailieselassie title TBC. 17.00-19.00, Room B103, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration
22 Feb Julia Gallagher ‘Building Africa: architecture and politics in South Africa,
Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia’.
17.00-19.00, Room B103, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration
29 Feb Laura Routley title TBC. 17.00-19.00, Room B103, Brunei Gallery,
SOAS. Registration
7 Mar Innocent Batsani-Ncube ‘From sharp to subtle power: why is China building
parliament buildings in Africa?’. 17.00-19.00, Room B103, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration.
8 Mar Nahom Teklu, Khensani Jurczok-de Klerk, Tapiwa Manase, Tshegofatso Mako
and Aude Tollo, Augustine Owusu-Ansah, Lois Quartey and Julia
Gallagher ‘Academics and architects creating knowledge together: Building
Africa’s curators and designers roundtable’. Brunei Gallery, SOAS. Registration
TBC Kuukuwa Manful title TBC. Registration