Urban Africa & David Adjaye at the London Design Museum

I’m coming in late on this as the exhibit started March 31 and ends soon – September 5. As an urban planner with a specific interest in African urbanism I couldn’t pass up on blogging on this. If you happen to be in London you should check it out. See Details.

David Adjaye is a respected Architect working in London who has traveled throughout Africa for the specific purpose of photographing urban Africa. He is interested in showing this side of Africa because most people are familiar with the African rural/country landscapes as well the wildlife aspect of it but this often surprises people. I like that he views it from a professional perspective in that it’s also about us not just hearing from one aspect of ‘modernity’ in the sense of what we can gain from Europe and how we should strive to be that way but importantly the interactions within urban africa itself, urban africa & rural africa etc and how these inform the way the urban space in Africa looks. His photography includes civic architecture, commercial, residential, as well as market places. I am definitely buying the book whenever it comes out…

Below are some of the pictures (I think he exhibited about 2,500):

1) Abidjan, Ivory Coast

2) Nouakchott, Mauritania

3) Cairo, Egypt

4) Antananarivo, Madagascar

5) Bamako, Mali

With his rich body of built work David Adjaye won the prestigious  commission to design the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC which will open in 2015. You can also check out his website here.

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