Filling the Historical Void

THIS BLOG WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY 2012

About two years ago, I finished reading Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s, Wonders of the African World and Basil Davidson's, The Lost Cities of Africa. In two weeks of reading, I learned more about the architectural history of Africa than in my seven years earning degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning. I am deeply affected by at best ignorance and at worst blatant denial of this history. I find it almost criminal that not one architectural history course felt African architecture (excluding the pyramids) even worthy of a passing mention.

In order to celebrate Black History month, I'd like to do my part to fill the void of ignorance. It's a history that I hope appeals to everyone, since the principals of good building are not culturally or ethnically exclusive. And as the saying goes, those that do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.

It therefore seems appropriate to start with the City of Timbuktu. It's the story of the world's first university. It's a story that runs juxtaposed to the problems of almost every urban school district, where schools are being closed due to attrition, where schools are chronically plagued with low state test scores and graduation rates. Could revealing the intellectual power of Timbuktu motivate young African-Americans to demand more from our broken public school systems? One can only hope.

Below is our itinerary. We will disembark at Timbuktu, weave our way along the Nile river, through the Sudan, along the east African coast passing through Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. We'll pick up again along the west African coast to find the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali and the Ashante architecture of Ghana. We'll visit South Africa and one of the worlds most unique resorts, Sun City. And we'll end our trip in Ghana, the first African nation to declare its independance from colonial power.  I hope you enjoy the journey.

From Timbuktu to Kalamazoo
1. Timbuktu and the Detroit Public Schools
2. From Meroe to the Senilac Petroglyphs
3. From Abu Simbel to Brewster-Douglass Homes
4. The Queen of Sheba and Prince Hall
5. From Aksum to Hart Plaza
6. From Lalibela to Sacred Heart
7. From Zanzibar to the Shrine of the Black Madanna
8. From Kilwa Kisiwani to Highland Park
9. The Spirit of the Great Zimbabwe and the Memorial to Joe Louis
10. From the Detroit Bungalow to the Ashanti Traditional Home
11. From The Great Mosque of Djenne to Muhammad’s Temple No. 1
12. From Sun City to Motor City
13. From Accra to Kalamazoo

For a comprehensive list of African heritage sites as determined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) go to: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list