ArchiAfrika is a non-profit organisation concerned with the

architecture of Africa Like other aspects of the culture of Africa, the architecture of Africa is exceptionally diverse. Throughout the history of Africa, Africans have developed their own local architectural traditions. In some cases, broader regional styles can be id ...

History

ArchiAfrika was founded in 2001 by a group of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

architects, including

Antoni Folkers Antoni Scholtens Folkers (born 1960) is a Dutch architect, urbanist and researcher. Folkers studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology where he also received his Ph.D. in 2011. His doctoral dissert ...

, who had spent many years in Africa. When they returned to the Netherlands, they discovered that African architecture was relatively unknown in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

and wanted to do something in order to change this situation. After their experience in Africa, they were convinced that African architecture and African architectural history are rich in depth and variety and that the rest of the world has much to gain from a stronger position of African architects within the international architectural debate and more knowledge of African Architecture in general.

Mission

ArchiAfrika's aim is to put African architecture on the map, to ensure that African Architecture is represented within the international architectural debate, to contribute to the understanding and development of African architecture by offering a platform for the exchange of knowledge and information on activities, people and projects dealing with architecture in Africa, and to stimulate the dialogue between Africa and the rest of the world on African architecture.

Beneficiaries

ArchiAfrika's target group consists of architects, urban planners, teachers, students and academics involved in architecture and cultural, governmental and housing institutions.

Strategy

ArchiAfrika aims to reach the above-mentioned goals by: * collecting data on African architecture and making this data accessible to the target group through ** a website *
a search engine on African architecture
** a newsletter on African architecture * organizing conferences around different subjects linked to African architecture * stimulating research on African architecture * working on projects that introduce African contemporary architecture into the discussion and practice of Western Architecture.

Projects

African Perspectives
** July 2005 – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Modern Architecture in East Africa around independence ** June 2007 - Kumasi, Ghana: African Architecture Today\ ** December 2007 – Delft, The Netherlands: African Perspectives 2007 – Dialogues on Urbanism and Architecture ** September 2009 – Pretoria/Tshwane, South Africa: African Perspectives 2009 – The African City CENTRE: (re)sourced
The African House - Past, Present and Future

Documentation centre on African Architecture

Mtoni Palace Publication

Searching African Architecture

References

ArchiAfrika Policy Plan 2009-2012

ArchiAfrika Annual Report 2007

External links

ArchiAfrika Website

Searching African Architecture: Online portal to documents on African Architecture

African Perspectives: A series of conferences on Urbanism and Architecture in Africa

Film Many Words for Modern: Survey of Modern Architecture in Tanzania