Stephanie G. Mathis He envisioned a stepped pyramid for the central building, which is still under construction. Its facade would be a public area, open to all citizens, day and night. The terraces were planted to celebrate and show off the agricultural achievements of the country. In a 2017 interview, explained:
My naive thought was that the next time there’s a rebellion, they would take care of the building and not burn it because they use it.
Kere built his first school in Gando, the village where he grew up. Kere modernized and adapted traditional techniques while still retaining their essence. He used local clay because it was abundant and, most importantly, involved the whole community. Children collected stones for the foundations. Women brought water for brick making. He said that the more local materials used, the better it is to promote local economies and build local knowledge. This also makes people feel proud.
Kere designed round openings to allow light and air to flow into the library at the Gando Primary School.
Challenge Eurocentric Thinking
It is estimated that by 2030, two billion people will live in self-built settlements. More than 61 percent of the world’s working population make their living from this unorganized economy.
It is the responsibility of professional architects to move beyond dominant Western, Eurocentric approaches in the built environment and to reinvigorate native knowledge instead, as Kere did. It has the potential not only to empower communities but also to foster greater sustainability. Kere told CNN soon after the award was announced:
Sometimes, the way the West communicates makes things (appear) to be the best. Others perceive them as the best without considering that local materials are the best solution for the climate crisis and the best alternative to socio-economic development.
Kere’s Opera Village in Laongo was finished in 2011. It hosts music workshops, festivals, and classes for children. Alamy Stock Photo
In the past two years, there has been a shift in focus of the Pritzker Prize from ” starchitects” to those whose work is driven more by social concerns. The award was given to Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal in 2021. The radical approach they took to reuse and refurbishment brought home the importance of the architectural industry in terms of environmental impact. The year before, the Irish duo Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara from Grafton Architects were lauded by the community for their work.
Until this year, the larger and more pressing question of exclusion and representation, which has plagued the architectural profession in general for a long time, remained elusive. We are well-placed to testify to this as architects, academics, and co-directors of the Bartlett School of Architecture, London.
Systematic racism continues influencing architecture as a career. Colonial thought is still at the core of architecture education. Social, economic, and environmental inequality are increasing globally. This makes it more important than ever to have socially conscious architects. It is an honor to witness Diebedo’s well-deserved prize.
Fostering diversity
The profession of architecture is still dominated by white men and plagued by racism. According to the Architect Review Board, in 2020, fewer than 1% of qualified architects in the UK were Black.
The Royal Institute of British Architects reported in 2019 that while 8.3% of those applying to study architecture are Black, only 1.5% of them completed the program.
Architecture schools in Western countries are just now beginning to deal with the issue of race by decolonizing the design curriculum. Kere’s crowning was a necessary correction for the list of the world’s most celebrated architects. Lesley Lokko, a Scottish-Ghanaian designer, was appointed to curate the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023. She is the first Black woman architect to be appointed as the curator of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the Biennale di Venezia in 2023.
Kere’s statement for this year’s award highlights the shift in values amongst the highest echelons of architecture:
Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. Climate, democracy, and scarcity concerns are shared by all of us.
Kere’s award and his work will benefit both the architecture profession and society in general. His words are worth heeding.
