Modernism in West African Architecture: MoMA's Expansive Lens on Independence-Era Design

A 1957 architectural drawing by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew captures modernism in West Africa. The deliberate pencil lines evoke the University of Ibadan Library's cantilevered roof, symbolizing concrete's role in modernization. This work is part of Architecture and Independence: Modernism in West Africa, 1950–1970, MoMA’s exhibition exploring architecture's role in new nations.

Staged in the Yoshiko and Akio Morita Gallery, the exhibition features over 200 objects: architectural blueprints, photographs, film footage, and materials from private collections across Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. These artifacts not only represent iconic buildings but also the intellectual labor behind them. Architects, planners, and local governments negotiated symbols of identity during decolonization when independence was both a political reality and a cultural aspiration.

Curated by Sean Anderson, Associate Curator in MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design, the exhibition builds on scholarship that positions post-colonial architecture at the heart of modernism. Anderson states, “We aim to re-centre the histories of modernism away from the West,” in an interview with The Architectural Review. The exhibition examines the buildings and their reception—how communities understood and appropriated these structures.

The exhibition unfolds chronologically across three sections. The first highlights early independence years, showcasing collaborations between African leaders and international architects. A notable example is the 1961 Independence Arch in Accra, Ghana, designed by the Public Works Department under Kwame Nkrumah. Its marble cladding evokes modernist restraint and state-led grandeur. Nearby, photographs of Dakar’s Nations Unies building (1963) by Pierre Goudiaby Atepa contrast with traditional urban forms.

The second section focuses on educational and cultural institutions as embodiments of modernist ideals. The University of Lagos Campus Master Plan (1962) by Architects Co-Partnership is represented through hand-drawn sketches and aerial photographs, revealing its dual role as a hub of knowledge and a symbol of West Africa’s intellectual autonomy. A rare cine-film reel shows the opening of the National Theatre in Lagos (1976), illustrating the era’s enduring ethos.

The final section, titled Modernism’s Discontents, prompts deep reflection. It examines the decay of many projects—both physically and ideologically. The utopian ambitions of the 1960s faced harsh realities: political instability and economic turmoil rendered many buildings obsolete. The Koudougou Cathedral in Burkina Faso, built in 1969 with local adobe techniques, is shown in recent photographs where its striking geometry and erosion coexist. Preservation questions arise, and Anderson urges viewers to confront the “temporal fragility” of modernism in the region.

The exhibition avoids uncritical celebration. It incorporates oral testimonies and contemporary commentary displayed on video monitors throughout the gallery. One poignant clip features Nigerian critic Kunlé Adeyemi discussing the failure of some projects to consider climate and local materials. Despite these shortcomings, Adeyemi asserts, “the architecture symbolised a belief in the future, even if it didn’t always deliver.”

This layered approach transforms the exhibition into a dialogue about how architecture shapes, and is shaped by, cultural and political environments. MoMA, often critiqued for its Euro-American-centric exhibitions, appears committed to correcting its course. While the museum has explored non-Western modernisms in previous exhibitions, this latest endeavor is more attuned to representation stakes. However, its focus on elite architecture—government buildings, universities, and theatres—overlooks broader population interactions with these spaces.

In conjunction with the exhibition, MoMA has published a 320-page catalogue featuring essays by scholars like Iain Jackson, Michelle Apotsos, and Nnamdi Elleh. Early reviews suggest it extends the exhibition’s themes, delving into materiality and the cross-pollination of ideas between African and European architects. The catalogue is available for $75 (approx. €71), with a digital edition forthcoming.

As visitors exit, they encounter a looped video montage of present-day scenes: vendors selling wares under the Independence Arch; students lounging at the Faculty of Architecture in Kumasi; and a photographer documenting the disrepair of the Lagos National Theatre. The final image, a still photograph of the Ibadan Library, serves as both an elegy and a challenge: what role will these monuments play in future narratives?

Architecture and Independence: Modernism in West Africa, 1950–1970 runs at MoMA through March 3, 2024. Information on tickets and programming can be found here.