The African Agora as Urban Generator

What are African Aspirations?

Africans, as all people, aspire to enjoy peace, shelter and security; and to live independently from financial and

political exploitation. They aspire to both self and community actualization. They aspire to take advantage of

networks of opportunity, to be educated and to enjoy and develop familial and social connections in the context of

unique cultural environments.

Individualistic aspirations have no place in Africa. In the context of widespread poverty, the concept of community

is essential. The process of rapid urbanization threatens African community structures, thereby necessitating the

future of African development to be founded on humanistic principles of settlement making. Ideas that revert to

the principals of “civitas”, a society based on shared knowledge and democratic values, allowing for inclusion of all

citizens and an equitable distribution of public facilities.

How does one design in African Space?

‘African Space’, outside of a specific context, is too broad a concept to define, design, create or control. Therefore

the question we, as African architects, are grappling with is how does one design in African space.

Successful African architects do not design in isolation. Instead, they recognize the value of adaptation and change

and choose to accept and embrace the reality of “African ingenuity”, a process whereby the collective African

people have the ability and creativity to add to and enrich formal designs. Control is futile in an environment

where people build incrementally as and when they can afford to, in order to get a foot in the door towards the

opportunities of urbanity.

The idea of the African Agora

The ancient Greek agora was a collection of buildings that demarcated public space for purposes of gathering. It

was a marketplace, a place for the exchange of democratic values, ideas and goods for trading. With the absence

or shortage of amenities, formal housing and infrastructure in Africa, the public realm assumes an elevated status

in the everyday lives of Africans. It is the African Agora.

With it’s beginnings in the rural landscape, the African Agora is the open space beneath a tree. The tree is this

landmark, a place of shade and shelter, and therefore a place for all kinds of public functions. A structure for shade

and shelter in a rural and urban context becomes a space for education (a school); a town hall (elders meet to

share concerns, governance and ideas); a marketplace (to trade and sell produce or goods); cross-roads (where

people arrive and go from); a place where festivals and political rallying could take place and a place for recreation

(for sports and concerts). The African Agora gives new meaning to society – fulfilling basic needs while facilitating

integration, equity, complexity, balance and urban identity.

Our competition entry, entitled ‘The African Agora as Urban Generator’ illustrates how an inclusive design

approach could be put to use in the African context. The planning and implementation of a simple organizing

structure protects the public realm while allowing for expansion, diversity and expression as people colour-in the

landscape in the way that need and circumstance dictate.