{"id":156553,"date":"2023-04-27T00:32:44","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T00:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=156553"},"modified":"2023-04-28T00:33:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T00:33:22","slug":"architect-diebedo-francis-kere-from-rural-west-africa-to-pritzker-prize-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/architect-diebedo-francis-kere-from-rural-west-africa-to-pritzker-prize-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"Architect Di\u00e9b\u00e9do Francis K\u00e9r\u00e9: From Rural West Africa to Pritzker Prize Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"           <!--  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n                jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n                    jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n                        if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n                        }\r\n                    });\r\n                })\r\n            <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n            <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n            <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n                                <span style=\"background-color:#4db2ee;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n                <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#4db2ee;background-color:rgba(77, 178, 238, 0.1);\">\r\n                                                        <li>Di\u00e9b\u00e9do Francis K\u00e9r\u00e9's childhood in rural West Africa influenced his architectural vision, which merges customary African architectural elements with pre-industrial European concepts and emphasizes eco-friendliness and collaboration with local communities.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>K\u00e9r\u00e9's diverse range of projects, including parliamentary buildings in West Africa and baobab tree-inspired towers at Coachella, often reflect Afrofuturistic principles that capture the dreams and ambitions of young Africans.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>K\u00e9r\u00e9's upcoming memorial to Thomas Sankara, the former president of Burkina Faso, will serve as a tribute to his enduring impact and a central gathering point in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>K\u00e9r\u00e9 emphasizes involving communities and utilizing local resources in his architectural endeavors to foster a sense of ownership and belonging.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>K\u00e9r\u00e9's architectural style, which incorporates traditional design with modern principles, promotes sustainable practices such as the use of a blend of clay and concrete.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The Yale School of Architecture has created the Francis K\u00e9r\u00e9 Scholarship to support emerging African architects and empower the next generation of leaders in the field.<\/li>\r\n                                                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            \n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Di\u00e9b\u00e9do Francis K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s childhood in rural West Africa, where he and his friends built temporary shelters using local materials, unknowingly laid the foundation for his future as an influential architect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1999, K\u00e9r\u00e9 returned to his native Burkina Faso and constructed a school in Gando, his hometown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The school&#8217;s innovative design, which fuses customary African architectural elements with pre-industrial European concepts, has been hailed by The New York Times as one of the most significant buildings erected since the Second World War.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s architectural vision emphasizes the use of eco-friendly substitutes for concrete and natural components.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is dedicated to collaborating with local communities to create structures that embody their culture and necessities while offering spaces filled with beauty and light.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This unique approach has resulted in a diverse range of projects, including a kindergarten in Munich, parliamentary buildings in West Africa, and baobab tree-inspired towers at Coachella in California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2022, K\u00e9r\u00e9 made history as the first African to receive the esteemed Pritzker Architecture Prize.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Embracing Afrofuturism and Honoring a Revolutionary Leader<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s work, such as the national assemblies being constructed in Benin and Burkina Faso, often reflects Afrofuturistic principles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He envisions Afrofuturism as an uplifting, culturally relevant, and comfortable architectural approach that encapsulates the dreams and ambitions of young Africans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s forthcoming projects is a memorial dedicated to Thomas Sankara, the former president of Burkina Faso who was assassinated in 1987.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The memorial site will include a park, a colossal circular arc structure surmounted by an 87-meter tower, meeting rooms, outdoor event spaces, and a museum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This space will serve as a central gathering point in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso&#8217;s capital, and a tribute to Sankara&#8217;s enduring impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>                        <!-- <div class=\"container-c\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"row justify-content-between\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"col-post-800\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- start html -->\r\n                        <div class=\"blockquote-wapper\">\r\n                            <div>\r\n                                <span class=\"text_quot\">\r\n                                    <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This unique approach has resulted in a diverse range of projects, including a kindergarten in Munich, parliamentary buildings in West Africa, and baobab tree-inspired towers at Coachella in California.<\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/span>\r\n\r\n                                <div class=\"quot_icon\">\r\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"quot_tick\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot_tri.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                        <!-- end html -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                                    <\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Fostering Ownership and Belonging through Architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K\u00e9r\u00e9 maintains that when people experience a sense of ownership over a structure, they are more likely to care for and take pride in it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As such, he emphasizes the significance of involving communities and utilizing local resources in his architectural endeavors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although K\u00e9r\u00e9 recognizes that a community-centric approach is feasible in places like the US and Europe, he acknowledges that adaptations are necessary to accommodate different settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Drawing Inspiration from the Past to Create a Sustainable Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s architectural style, which incorporates aspects of traditional design alongside modern principles, underscores the importance of learning from history to build a sustainable future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He has employed a blend of clay and concrete in his designs, which not only reduces costs but also minimizes environmental impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Yale&#8217;s Commitment to Supporting African Architectural Talent<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To celebrate K\u00e9r\u00e9&#8217;s accomplishments and support emerging African architects, the Yale School of Architecture has unveiled the Francis K\u00e9r\u00e9 Scholarship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With funding from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, this scholarship aims to nurture new voices and talents in the architectural field, empowering the next generation of leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">K\u00e9r\u00e9 himself has taught at Yale as a visiting professor and continues to engage with the school&#8217;s academic community.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":156554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-and-culture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}