Discover the complex and manifold legacies of brutalist architecture in Africa with writer and curator Fabiola Büchele.
Brutalism, arguably the easiest architectural language with which to have a love-hate relationship, holds a particularly complex legacy across Africa – welcome to our guide to the continent’s brutalist architecture.
The movement’s global heyday, from the 1960s to the 1980s, coincided with the independence of many African nations, as they sought to articulate new national identities. Brutalism’s bold experimentation resonated with the optimism of state-building, while its monumental scale conveyed authority and permanence. It seemed a perfect fit for newly independent nations that required educational, financial and healthcare infrastructure, as well as spaces to celebrate culture, history and local heroes.