VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages
Abstract
In this presentation, we examine the ways in which digital tools ( terrestrial scanning, 3D laser scanning (hand held & drone mounted), digital archiving platforms and local social participation may be leveraged to preserve cultural heritage sites in African postcolonial societies. We argue that relevant sites in Benin (Porto-Novo), West Africa represent unique case studies because of its under threat rich architectural built heritage. Porto-Novo, Capital of Benin, was originally developed as a port for the transatlantic slave trade led by the Portuguese Empire. It’s older building heritage include the Aguda Architecture that was built through the influences of the freed returning slaves who settled into this region and have had significant impact on the city’s urban morphology. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the African continent has some 98 designated World Heritage Sites (cultural) and more than half of these can be found in 35 Sub-Saharan African countries. However, many of these sites in Africa (a total number of 93, in 2018) are placed on the List of World Heritage in danger due to threats from extractive processes (mineral and oil exploration), armed conflict, acts of terrorism, climate change, poaching, and uncontrolled rural and urban expansions (www. unesco.org). As African Cities continue on an accelerated urbanization path, more losses of cultural, local heritage and knowledge are anticipated. Through a tripartite expertise and international collaboration between researchers from Architecture & urban design, cultural memory archiving from Boston and historical expertise on the local building heritage in Benin, this paper will present focus on the Aguda (Afro-Brazilian) and will investigate the new ways of leveraging technology towards building heritage preservation, education and local empowerment through social participation.
H. Killion Mokwete is a UK-trained and registered Architect (RIBA-chartered Architect & Urban Designer) and Associate Teaching Professor in School Architecture at Northeastern University and Co-Founder of the community-based design startup Social Impact Collective (SIC). Killion previously worked at Build Health International (BHI) where he conducted community based strategic masterplanning in Haiti as well as Shepley Bulfinch in Boston where he developed urban masterplanning in Rwanda.
Franck Komlan Ogou holds a PhD in Heritage and Archaeology from the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin). His research work focuses on heritage preservation in historic cities with urban dynamics in southern Benin. Through his work, he suggested solutions to develop historic cities while respecting the heritage resources that make up their unique identity. He has contributed to the training of world heritage professionals in Africa, to the preparation of nomination files, to the drafting of management plans for African sites and has carried out expert missions to countries in the implementation of the 1972 UNESCO convention.
Patricia Davis (Ph.D. University of California, San Diego) is a critical/cultural studies scholar whose research and teaching lies at the nexus of rhetoric and media studies. She studies public memory, identity, race, gender, and representation. Her book, “Laying Claim: African American Cultural Memory and Southern Identity” (University of Alabama Press, 2016) won the Best Book Award from the American Studies Division of the National Communication Association in 2017, and from the Critical/Cultural Studies Division of the National Communication studies Association in 2018.
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Wednesday 28th June, 2023