Carving Identities. A Manifesto?
Why do we Create?
Design is a powerful tool that can aid to transcend our physical tenure on earth, helping us close the gap between finite and eternal life. Alongside transcending life, our journey into making, designing and actualizing objects and spaces also serves as a vehicle for us to achieve a better understanding of ourselves and our identity in relation to the world.
Pillaging the Source
The art of making, and creativity serves as a powerful tool that when used properly, can be wielded to distinguish an identity for those who harness its properties. Inversely, if this tool is not explored, it will ultimately render a misunderstanding of the importance of self and create a lack of contributions to the continuum of the human experience.
An evident case study would be examining the continent of Africa and the people of the diaspora.
There has been a long standing perception and misunderstanding of this indispensable part of the world rendering them to be that of second class citizens due to recent institutions such as the colonial project, the atlantic slave trade and other subjugating acts. These institutions resulted in acts that pillaged bodies, artifacts, intellectual properties and even the spirit of these people.
Ultimately, the existence of these people has been affected by racism, prejudice and other oppressive expressions meant to demoralize humans. Manipulative scenarios which includes but are not limited to; art and artifacts being pillaged from ancient Benin or resources being exploited by Western establishments, has created the backdrop for how the people from this region would ultimately lose traces of important occurrences in their historical development. You can refer to these attacks as a means of ‘conscious exclusion’ to the African people from their history.
In documentations presenting her curation of ‘Ghana Freedom’ an exhibition at the 58th International Art Exhibition at ‘La Biennale di Venezia,’ the multi-Hyphenate Nana Oforiatta-Ayim goes on to quote, “its(Africa) knowledge systems were systematically devalued as “voodoo”, its rituals as “devil Worship,” its objects as “fetish,” until they were transposed to museums in the West, where they were conveniently re-imbued with value”(Oforiatta Ayim p. 27).
This is an example of many instances in which resources, goods and people were taken from Africa, and then attributed a different meaning to aid in the progression of Western identity.
Western Imposed Agendas
The fight to reclaim African identity is a battle fought outside of Africa, as well as on the home turf. There have been challenges that have plagued the continent from within through outside entities.
In this instance, we’ll highlight a realization made by Nigerian Artist and Architect Demas Nwoko during the beginning phase of his tenure at the University of Zaria(now modern day Ahmadu Bello University), Nwoko quotes; “there was a complete absence of the study of our own traditional knowledge.” According to Nwoko, this is a tactic that was used by the Europeans to avoid the notion that there was an African influence in the work.
Motivated by the initiative to gain in economic means through imported goods, the western world imposed unfair judicial structures that crippled the execution of techniques that were geographically appropriate in favor of techniques and methods that further pushed a western agenda. Instead of taking the time to learn about the indigenous people and their already successful methods, the British empire disregarded the native practices of mudbrick buildings, and instead, implemented laws that required the utilization of concrete which is an exported good from Britain. This created a revenue stream for the British government. Furthermore, the philosophy of replacing indigenous building techniques with that of Western building techniques was further exalted by the fact that “Nigerian Architects were trained by foreign professors in the practice and styles that now have a dominant foothold in the construction landscapes.
These issues have succeeded the following generations by creating a mentality that hails foreign ideas and renders indigenous techniques as lesser. That lack of pride or hope within the newer generations after Nwoko was fostered from a mindset where the preferred knowledge systems and the labour opportunities have been that of idolizing the western establishments. Nwoke observes that “Its a trajectory that sees as a continuation of the slave trade. The most recent example of the export of human labour from Africa for the benefit of Western development.
Reclaiming Identities
Ultimately it takes the creators, designers and artists to establish and reclaim an identity.
This next segment is evidence of reclaiming identities through movements, ideas and practices.
This is achievable through delving deeper within ourselves and knowledge systems and using that as the means to create an identity in how we want to exist in the greater continuum of this human experience.
We’ll take a look at the revolutionary movement created by a son of the diaspora, specifically the ideas that were developed through “Negritude”. “Negritude, though later seen as somewhat essential, was a revolt against western hegemony of thought and a reclamation of value for African cultures and histories.
Aime Cesaire’s movement of “negritude” was an act of reclamation that had an impact through intellectual means. The francophone poet was an artist who wielded words in a manner that shaped, challenged and articulated ideas in a way that felt ephemeral but gave shape to how the soul wanted to express itself.
Cesaire beautifully expresses the feelings of diminishing one's identity when engaged in oppressive environments where the subject is rendered a minority. This sense of inferiority can be defined by ”those who live in their own oubliette; those who say to Europe: ‘You see I can bow and scrape, like you I pay my respects in short I am not different from you; pay no attention to my black skin: the sun did it.’ Further expressing “and there is the nigger pimp, the nigger askari, and all the zebras shaking themselves in various ways to get rid of their stripes in dew of fresh milk.”(Note book of A Return to the Nativeland p.45) This expression on adaptation, inferiority, lack of identity is Cesaire means to use poetry as a tool to reclaim identity, through situational understanding and hope.
Similar to Cesaire, we’ll take another look as to how the artist and designer uses their tools as a medium to break free from imposed identities and shackles that hinders a true understanding of one's self and impact on the world’s stage.
Establishing an Institution
Looking no further than the previously mentioned Nwoko, the architect, designer and philosopher challenged Western institutions in his own ways during his tenure at school by creating a nation serving curriculum that was birthed in the university of Zaria. Nwoko and other like-minded individuals took it upon themselves “to develop a methodology they coined “Natural Synthesis,” anchoring their drawing, painting, sculptures and printmaking in the knowledge of African art traditions(with the conscious additions of Western innovations where useful) as the platform for their creative output.” The idea of “Natural Synthesis” is probably an even more attractive evolution in thought that can help establish and protect an identity but refrain from being restricted solely to it. I believe it's important to not have a perspective or knowledge pool that is only limited to that of an indigenous knowledge system. Instead, using the indigenous knowledge system as a foundational structure while simultaneously involving other worldly ideas and practices and solutions when appropriate. This method protects identity through preservations while fostering synchronicity amongst other cultures.
“Independence is to become ourselves” Nwoko
From the ephemeral poetic structures uttered by the previously mentioned Cesaire, to systems built by Nwoko the next artists we'll look at, we can see that the search for establishing identity can be rendered through the use of structural forms created by weaving words together in a poetic gesture as well as in physically manifested forms created in space, using everyday materials.
The Rooted Self
Sticking to the world of architects, the renowned architect David Adjaye is someone who embodies the idea of expressing an identity of his people through his work. One of the most fascinating things about Adjaye is his deep understanding of the total spectrum of his origin and its adjacencies alongside through the dedication he has spent understanding his craft and the preceding history and context accompanying it by studying architecture within Africa. After completing his studies to become an architect and before establishing his architecture practice, Adjaye accomplished something that is very unique and admirable. In this time after studies and between establishing his design practice, Adjaye took the time to visit all 54 African countries in a span of 12 years. He exposed himself to the sites of architecture high and low, old and new and gained a first hand in-depth understanding of the total spectrum of African architecture. With firsthand exposure and research serving as the foundation for his practice, there is no wonder why Adjaye is one of the most foremost figures practicing architecture today.
Tapped by Offoriatta Ayim, David Adjaye was tasked with the challenge of creating the structural space for the Venice biennale. This space created was a departure from the previous white spaces used to showcase art and sculpture familiar to us. The space created by Adjaye is one that can only arrive through experiences and exposure to something truly authentic and different from the familiar structures of the Western world. In an interview with the now deceased Art critic and curator Okwui Enwezor, Adjaye explains “I mean for me this pavilion really is a fundamental step that this small nation(Ghana), imagined by the Big Six in 1948, led by Kwame Nkrumah created a voice which emancipated a country and ultimately gave the voice to the emancipation of the continent…in a way for me this pavilion is about confidence; confidence in one's roots, in one’s classical history, and in one’s possible future.”
… President Kwame Nkrumah, too, saw the arts as pivotal to the creation of national and Pan-African Identities.
Process Refinement
Shifting gears from one architect to another, we'll take a look at how Francis Kere’s work has grounded a location within its identity through the use of materials sourced from the location.
Francis Kere’s use of native materiality is one that is optimized for climatic, social and economic needs. Further characterizing his work, in a foreword by Ayça Beygo who later curates an exhibition on Kere’s work states; “He is one of the first Architects to realize that African knowledge in building is as essential as western knowledge. The blend of local skills, community effort, economic solidarity, and European input is the essence of hybrid architectural language and global imagination.”(Radically Simple p. 20) With Kere, his resolute decision making in the materials used for his design is something that defines transforming the future while looking at the past. Falsely considered a material that was the “poor man's material”, the use of clay was rejected during industrialization to give room to the new and modern building materials that were discovered. Inversely, Kere’s beginning in architecture was aided by relying on clay, this ancient readily available material that has proven to be climatically appropriate and economically sustainable was used in a new and progressive manner that grounded that material as a key component in the construction of the future.
Framing our Destiny
I’ll use one symbol as a common thread to reaffirm the aforementioned creators and their contributions; the idea of ‘framing’. Aime Cesaire framed words to contest social prejudices and bring awareness to these injustices while simultaneously reclaiming power through the use of writing and poetic structures. Demas Nwoko challenged the imposed agendas of the western powers at play by going on to highlight the necessity of the readily available resources that was rendered inferior through the framing dictated by the British colonialist. Adjaye's deep rooted knowledge serves as the basis for creating something refreshing yet familiar by framing the structures of a biennale in ways that can only be rendered through someone whose inputs were a byproduct of his deep understanding of the spectrum of African Architecture. Lastly, as an intellectual descendant of Nwoko in some sorts, Francis Kere was able to manifest elements of his practice by honoring the groundwork laid by Nwoko during his earlier battles against imposed economic agendas. Kere has achieved this feat by creating a system that frames the importance of the materials in his geographic context and dismantling the notion of materials being inferior simply due to its primitive attributes. The works of these artists, designers and thinkers should serve as the basis for all designers and artists who are descendants from this region of the world. Deep rooted knowledge of geographic, historical and cultural background will help materialize solutions across all human endeavors of creating and identity mining. Solutions will arise through serving and honoring the systems of knowledge, championing native resources and aligning with indigenous practices that have defined the identity of those originating from the region.
Written by Kwabena Boachie, KAADS
