An expression of an African Renaissance through architecture.

Abstract

The concept of the African Renaissance has gained ground over the past couple of years since it was first introduce to the mass public in the mid 1990’s. It aims to address a variety of challenges that affect the African continent and the people that reside within it. These challenges are mostly as a result of the centuries of oppression that the continent and its people had to endure as well as the latent effects that persist as a result of those oppressive regimes even though they no longer exist. The African Renaissance is meant to be a tool that will transform all aspects of society throughout the entire continent. The African Renaissance has been associated with a number of different social, economic and cultural issues, but has yet to be adequately investigated in relation to the built environment and architecture in particular. The investigation is therefore a quest to determine whether there is a link or relationship between the concept and architecture, and if so, how can architecture be utilized to further the concept of the renaissance.