The next generation of African architects and designers | Christian Benimana

Translator: Neria-Neema Kwayu Reviewer: Julieth Mbeyella

The longest journey that I have ever taken.

Safari ndefu ambayo nimewahi kusafiri,

That was in 2002.

Ilikuwa ni mwaka 2002

I was only 19 years old.

Nilikuwa na miaka 19

It was the first time I had ever been on an airplane

Ilikuwa ni mara ya kwanza kupanda ndege

and the first time that I had left my country,

na mara ya kwanza kutoka nje ya nchi.

Rwanda.

Rwanda,

I had to move thousands of kilometers away

Ilibidi niende umbali wa maelfu ya kilometa

to follow a dream.

kufwata ndoto zangu.

A dream I have had ever since I was a child.

Ndoto niliyokuwa nayo tangu utotoni,

And that dream was to become an architect.

Na hiyo ndoto ilikuwa ni kuwa msanifu majengo.

That was impossible at the time in my country.

Kipindi hicho ilikuwa haiwezekani nchini mwangu.

There were no schools of architecture.

Kulikuwa hamna shule za usanifu majengo.

So when I got a scholarship to study in China,

Kwahiyo nilivyopata msaada wa kwenda kusoma china,

I left my life and my family behind

niliacha maisha yangu na familia nyuma

and I moved to Shanghai.

nikahamia Shanghai.

It was an amazing time.

Ilikuwa ni wakati mzuri

This country was going through a major building boom.

Nchi ilikuwa inapitia mlipuko wa majengo.

Shanghai, my new home,

Shanghai nyumbani kwangu kupya

was quickly turning into a skyscraper city.

ilikuwa inabadilika kuwa mji wenye maghorofa mengi.

China was changing.

China ilikuwa inabadilika

World-class projects were built to convey a new image of development.

Mipango mji mipya ilijengwa ili kuleta muonekano mpya wa maendeleo.

Modern, striking engineering marvels were going up literally everywhere.

Majengo mapya ya kustaajabisha yalikuwa yanajengwa kila sehemu,

But behind these facades,

Lakini nyuma ya hii yote,

exploitation of huge numbers of migrant workers,

utumikwishaji wa wafanyakazi wengi wa kigeni,

massive displacement of thousands of people

utenganeshwaji wa maelfu ya watu

made these projects possible.

uliifanya hii miradi ifanikiwe.

And this fast-paced development

Na haya maendeleo ya haraka

also contributed significantly to the pollution

yalichangia kuchafua mazingira kwa kiasi kikubwa.

that is haunting China today.

amabayo ina hatarisha China leo.

Fast-forward to 2010,

Mnamo mwaka 2010

when I went back home to Rwanda.

nilivyorudi nyumbani Rwanda

There, I found development patterns similar to what I saw in China.

Kule, nikakuta maendeleo yanayofanina na China.

The country was and still is experiencing its own population and economic growth.

Nchi ilikuwa na bado ina pitia ukuaji wake wa kiuchumi na kijamii,.

The pressure to build cities, infrastructure and buildings

Msukumo wa kujenga miji , miundombini na majengo.

is at its peak,

upo kwenye ukubwa wake

and as a result,

na matokeo yake,

there is a massive building boom as well.

kuna mlipuko wa majengo pia.

This is the reality across the entire continent of Africa,

Huu ndo uhalisia ulioko kwenye bara zima la Africa,

and here's why.

Na hii ndo sababu.

By 2050, Africa's population will double,

Ifikapo mwaka 2050, idadi ya watu Africa itakuwa mara mbili.

reaching 2.5 billion people.

Kufikia watu billioni 2.5.

At this point,

Ifikapo hapo

the African population will be slightly less than the current population

Idadi ya watu wa Africa itakuwa pungufu kidogo kuzidi ilivyo sasa

of China and India combined.

ya China na India.

The infrastructure and buildings needed to accommodate this many people

Miundombinu na majengo yanayohitajika kuhimili watu wengi kiasi hiki

is unprecedented in the history of humankind.

haijategemewa kwenye historia ya binadamu.

We have estimated that by 2050,

Tumekisia kwamba ifikapo mwaka 2050

we have to build 700,000,000 more housing units,

inabidi tujenge zaidi ya nyumba 700,000,000

more than 300,000 schools

shule takribani 300,000

and nearly 100,000 health centers.

na sehemu za huduma za kiafya zisizopungua 100,000.

Let me put that into perspective for you.

Ngoja nikupe muelekeo

Every day for the next 35 years,

Kila siku kwa miaka 35 ijayo

we have to build seven health centers,

inabidi tujenge sehemu saba za huduma za afya.

25 schools

shule 25

and nearly 60,000 housing units each day,

na karibia uniti 60000 za nyumba kila siku,

every day.

kila siku

How are we going to build all of this?

Tutawezaje kujenga hivi vyote?

Are we going to follow a model of unsustainable building and construction

Je tutafwata mfano wa ujenzi usio salama

similar to what I witnessed in China?

kama ule wa China?

Or can we develop a uniquely African model

Au tutaweza kutengeneza wa kwetu wa kipekee wa Africa.

of sustainable and equitable development?

Ambao utakuwa wa kuridhisha na wa faida kwa maendeleo?

I'm optimistic we can.

Nina amini tunaweza.

I know Africans who are already doing it.

Nawajua Wa Africa ambao tayari wanaufanya.

Take Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi for instance,

Mfano msanifu majengo wa Nigeria Kunlé Adeyemi,

and his work in slums of coastal megacities.

Na kazi zake kwenye mitaa ya Pwani za miji mikubwa.

Places like Makoko in Lagos,

Sehemu kama Makoko Lagos

where hundreds of thousands of people live in makeshift structures on stilts

Ambapo mamia maelfu ya watu wanaishi kwenye vijijumba vya kushona

on water,

vilivyo juu ya maji,

without government infrastructure or services.

bila miundo mbinu ya serikali wala huduma za kijamii.

A community at great risk of rising sea levels and climate change.

Jamii iliyo katika hatari ya muongezeko wa maji na mabadiliko ya tabia nchi.

And yet, people who live here are examples of great ingenuity

Lakini bado watu wanaoishi hapo ni mfano wa wapambanaji

and the will to survive.

na wenye nia ya kuishi.

Kunlé and his team have designed a prototype school

Kunlé na timu yake wametengeneza shule ya mifano.

that is resilient to rising sea levels.

Ambayo inavumilia maji ya bahari yanyoongezeka.

This is Makoko School.

Hii ni shule ya Makoko.

It's a floating prototype structure that can be adapted to clinics,

Ni mfano wa jengo linaloeleya ambalo linaweza kutumika kwenye kliniki,

to housing, to markets

nyumba na masoko

and other vital infrastructure this community needs.

na miundombinu mingine ambayo hii jamii inahitaji.

It's an ingenious solution

Ni moja la jibu la kipekee

that can ensure this community lives safely on the waters of Lagos.

amabalo linaweza hakikisha maisha ya hii jamii ambayo inaishi kwenye maji ya Lagos.

This is Francis Kéré.

Huyu ni Francis Kéré.

He works in the country where he comes from,

Anafanya kazi kwenye nchi anayotokea.

Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso.

Kéré and his team have designed projects that use traditional building techniques.

Kéré na timu yake wametengeneza miradi ambayo inatumia njia za kitamaduni za ujenzi.

Kéré and his team working in the communities

Kéré na timu yake wanafanya kazi kwenye jamii

have developed prototype schools

na wametengeneza shule za mifano

that the whole community,

ambazo jamii nzima.

similar to every project in the villages of this country,

zinafanana na kila mradi kwenye vijiji vya nchi hii

comes together to build.

inakuja pamoja kujenga.

Children bring stones for the foundation,

Watoto wanaleta mawe kwa ajili ya msingi,

women bring water for the brick manufacturing,

wanawake wanaleta maji kwa ajili ya upauaji wa matofali,

and everybody works together to pound the clay floors.

na kila mtu anafanya kazi kubonda sakafu za udongo

Working with the community,

pamoja na jamii,

Kéré and his team have created projects that function better,

Kéré na timu yake wametengeneza miradi inayofanya kazi vizuri

with adequate lighting and adequate ventilation.

kwa mwanga na uingizaji hewa wa kutosha.

They're appropriate for this particular context

Zinafaa kwenye huu mstakabali

and really, really beautiful as well.

na ni nzuri mno mno.

For the past seven years,

Kwa miaka saba iliyopita,

I have been working as an architect at MASS Design Group.

nimekuwa nikifanya kazi kama msanifu majengo wa MASS Design Group.

It's a design firm that began in Rwanda.

Ni kampuni ya ubunifu iliyoanzishwa Rwanda.

We have worked in several countries in Africa,

Tumefanya kazi na nchi nyingi Africa,

focusing on this more equitable and sustainable model

Tukilenga huu mpango wa kukidhi na wenye faida,

of architectural practice,

wa usanifu majengo.

and Malawi is one of those countries.

Na Malawi ni moja ya hizo nchi.

It's a country with beautiful, remote landscapes

Ni nchi yenye mazingira mazuri yaliyojificha.

with high-peak mountains and fertile valleys.

yenye milima yenye vilele virefu na ardhi yenye rutuba.

But it also has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world.

Lakini pia ina idadi kubwa za vifo vya kina mama duniani.

A pregnant woman in Malawi either gives birth at home,

Mwanamke mwenye mimba Malawi huzalia nyumbani au

or she has to walk a really long journey to the nearest clinic.

hutembea safari ndefu kuelekea kliniki ya karibu.

And one out of 36 of these mothers dies during childbirth.

Na moja kati ya kina mama 36 anafariki wakati wakujifungua.

In Malawi,

Malawi

with our team at MASS Design Group,

na timu yetu ya MASS Design Group

we designed the Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village.

Tumetengeneza kijij cha kina mama cha kusubiria kujifungua.

This is a place women come to six weeks before their due dates.

Hii ni sehemu ambayo wanawake wanakuja wiki 6 kabla ya kujifungua.

Here they receive prenatal care

Hapa wanapata matunzo ya uzazi

and train in nutrition and family planning.

na kujifunza kuhusu lishe na uzazi wa mpango.

At the same time, they form a community

Wakati huo huo wanatengeneza umoja

with other expectant mothers and their families.

na wakina mama wengine wanaosubiria kujifungua na familia zao.

The design of the of Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village

Muundo wa kijiji cha kusubiria kujifungulia cha Kasungu

borrows from the vernacular typologies of Malawi villages

inaazima ukienyeji wa vijiji vya Malawi

and is built using really simple materials and techniques.

na imejengwa kutumia nyenzo na mbinu rahisi .

The earth blocks that we used were made from the same soil of this site.

Matofali tunayotumia yametengenezwa na udongo wa kwenye eneo hili hili

This reduces the carbon footprint of this building,

Hii inapunguza matumizi ya cabon kwenye jengo hili,

but first and foremost,

lakini kabla ya yote.

it provides a safe and dignified space for these expectant mothers.

Inaleta sehemu safi na inayofaa kwa ajili ya akina mama.

These examples show that architecture and design

Hii mifano inaonesha kuwa majengo na miundo

have the power and the agency to address complex problems.

ina nguvu na uwezo wa kutatua matatizo yanayotukabiri.

But more to point,

Lakini la umuhimu zaidi

that we can develop a model of effective solutions

tunaweza tengeneza mifano ya kutatua matatizo

for our communities.

kwenye jamii zetu.

But these three examples are not enough.

Lakini mifano hii mitatu haitoshi

300 more examples will not be enough.

Mifano mingine 300 haitotosha.

We need a whole community of African architects and designers

Tunahitaji jamii nzima ya waasnifu majengo na wabunifu wa ki Afrika.

to lead with thousands more examples.

Waongoze kwa mifano mingi zaidi

In May of this year,

Mnamo Mei mwaka huu

we convened a symposium on African architecture, in Kigali,

tulifanya mkutano wa wasanifu majengo wa Africa, Kigali,

and we invited many of the leading African designers

na tukawaalika wabunifu wengi wa Africa

and architectural educators working across the continent.

na waalimu wa usanifu majengo wanaofanya kazi ndani ya bara hili

We all had one thing in common.

Sote tulikuwa na jambo moja la kufanana

Every single one of us went to school abroad

Sote tulisoma shule ulaya

and outside of Africa.

na nje ya Africa

This has to change.

Hii inabidi ibadilike.

If we are to develop solutions unique to us,

Kama tunataka kutengeneza mipango inayoendana na sisi

rather than attempting to turn Kigali into Beijing,

kulikoni kutaka kuibadilisha Kigali iwe Beijing

or Lagos into Shenzhen,

au Lagos iwe Shenzen

we need a community

tunahitaji jamii

that will build the design confidence of the next generation

itakayojenga miundo ya kujiamini ya jamii inayokuja

of African architects and designers.

ya wasanifu majengo na wabunifu wa ki Africa.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

In September last year,

Mnamo September mwaka jana,

we launched the African Design Centre

tulianzisha kituo cha ubunifu cha Africa

to start building this community.

tuanze kujenga hii jamii

We admitted 11 fellows from across the continent.

Tuliwaweka wanafunzi 11 kutoka kwenye bara zima.

It's a 20-month-long, design-build fellowship program.

Ni kozi inayodumu kwa miezi 20

Here, they are learning to tackle big challenges

Hapa wanajifunza kukabiliana na vikwazo vikubwa

such as urbanism and climate change,

kama mabadiliko ya tabia hewa na mipango miji

as Kunlé and his team have.

kama ambavyo Kunlé na timu yake wamefanya.

They're working with communities

Wanafanya kazi na jamii

to develop innovative building solutions and processes,

kuendeleza mipango ya ujenzi na miundo mbinu

as Kéré and his team have.

kama ambavyo Kéré na timu yake wamefanya.

They're learning to understand the health impact of better buildings

Wanajifunza kuelewa umuhimu wa kiafya wa majengo mazuri

as we at MASS Design Group have been researching

kama ambavyo sisi wa MASS Design Group tumekuwa tukifanya uchunguzi

for the past several years.

kwa miaka kadhaa iliyopita.

The crowning moment of the fellowship

Muda wa sifa wa huu ushirika

is a real project that they designed and built.

ni mradi walio sanifu na kujenga.

This is Ruhehe Primary School,

Hii ni shule ya msingi ya Ruhehe,

the project they designed.

mradi walio usanifu.

They immersed themselves in the community to understand the challenges

Walijikita kwenye jamii ili waelewe matatizo yanayoikabili.

but also uncover opportunities,

Lakini pia kuzindua njia mpya,

like using a wall made of local volcanic stone

kama vile kutumia ukuta uliotengenezwa na mawe ya volkano.

to turn the entire campus into a space of play and active learning.

kubadilisha mazingira mazima ya chuo kuwa sehemu ya kucheza na kujifunza.

They evaluated the environmental conditions

Walitathimini hali ya mazingira,

and developed a roof system that maximizes daylight

na kutengeneza mfumo wa paa ambao unaongeza mwanga wa jua

and improves acoustic performance.

na unaongeza utendaji wa sauti.

The construction at Ruhehe Primary School will begin this year.

Ujenzi wa shule ya msingi ya Ruhehe utaanza mwaka huu.

(Applause)

(Makofi)

And over the coming months,

Na kwenye miezi inayofuatia

the African Design Centre fellows are going to work hand-in-hand

wasomi wa chuo cha ubunifu cha Afrika watafanya kazi moja kwa moja

with the Ruhehe community to build it.

na jamii ya Ruhehe kuijenga.

When we asked the fellows

Tulivyowauliza wanafunzi

what they want to do after their African Design Centre fellowship,

wanataka kufanya nini baada ya kukamilisha fellowshipu yao ya Ubunufu wa kiAfrica,

Tshepo from South Africa said

Tsepo kutoka South Africa alisema,

he wants to introduce this new way of building into his country,

anataka kutambulisha hii namna mpya ya kujenga nchini kwake.

so he plans to open a private practice in Johannesburg.

Kwa hivyo ana mpango wa kufungua kampuni yake binafsi Johannesburg,

Zani wants to expand opportunities for women to become engineers.

Zani anataka kutanua nafasi kwa wanawake wawe wahandisi.

Before joining the African Design Centre,

kabla ya kujiunga na kituo cha Ubunifu cha Afrika.

she helped start, in Nairobi,

alisaidia kuanzisha, Nairobi,

an organization to bridge the gender gaps for women in engineering fields,

shirika la kusaidia kuziba pengo la wanawake kwenye sekta ya uhandisi,

and she hopes to take this movement across Africa,

na anategemea kupeleka huu msimamo Afrika nzima.

eventually the whole world.

mwishowe dunia nzima.

Moses, from South Sudan,

Moses kutoka sudan ya kusini

the world's newest country,

nchi mpya duniani

wants to open the first polytechnic school

anataka kufungua shule mpya ya ufundi wa teknolojia.

that will teach people how to build using local materials from his country.

ambayo itafundisha watu ujenzi kwa kutumia malighafi zilizoko nchini mwao

Moses had to be determined to become an architect.

Moses alitamani kuwa msanifu majengo.

The civil war in his country frequently interrupted his architectural education.

Vita za wenyewe kwa wenyewe nchini kwao ziliingilia masomo yake.

At the time he was applying to join the African Design Centre,

Wakati anajiaandaa kuanza kusoma kwenye kituo cha Ubunifu cha Afrika

we could hear gunshots going off in the background of his interview call.

tulikuwa tunasikia bunduki zikilia nyuma ya simu yake ya mahojiano.

But even in the middle of this civil war,

Lakini katikati ya vita ya wenyewe kwa wenyewe

Moses hangs on to this idea

Moses alishikilia wazo lake

that architecture can be a way to bridge communities back together.

la kwamba usanifu majengo unaweza kuwa njia ya kufanya jamii ziwe pamoja.

You have to be inspired by this fellow's belief

Imani za mwanafunzi huyu zinatoa msukumo

that great architecture can make a difference

wa kwamba usanifu majengo unaleta tofauti,

on how the future of Africa is built.

wa jinsi ambavyo Afrika inajengwa.

The unprecedented growth of Africa cannot be ignored.

Ukuaji wa Afrika hauwezi kusahauliwa

Imagine Africa's future cities,

Waza miji mipya ya Afrika,

but not as vast slums,

lakini sio kama makazi duni

but the most resilient

lakini zenye uvumulivu

and the most socially inclusive places on earth.

na zenye jamii za kushabihiana zaidi duniani.

This is achievable.

Hili linawezekana

And we have the talent to make it a reality.

Na tuna uwezo wa kulifanya litokee.

But the journey to ready that talent for the task ahead,

Lakini safari ya kuandaa vipaji vya yajayo mbeleni

like my own journey,

kama safari yangu,

is far too long.

ni ndefu sana.

For the next generation of African creative leaders,

Kwa vizazi vijavyo vya wabunifu wa Ki Africa

we have to shorten and streamline that journey.

inabidi tufupishe hii safari.

But most importantly --

Lakini la umuhimu zaidi--

and I cannot stress this enough --

na siwezi kuliwekea msisitizo wa kutosha--

we have to build their design confidence

tunahitaji kujenga kujiamini kwao kiubunifu

and empower them to develop solutions that are truly African

na kuwapa nguvu kutengeneza majibu ya ki Africa

but globally inspiring.

lakini yafae kwa dunia nzima.

Thank you very much.

Asante sana.

(Applause)

(Makofi)