Architects of Liberation: Modernism in Western Africa

Architects of Liberation is another title – like Nigerian Modernism, which we reviewed last month – that reflects the current surge of interest in modernism as an art and design moment on the continent. It is the catalogue of the exhibition of the same name currently on show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and the book includes deeply researched texts as well as visual material. The latter is also wide-ranging in scope, taking in concept sketches and plans as well as photographs of a large number of the seriously eye-catching West African buildings that date from this period. My favourites among these images are those of the interiors of some domestic houses in Accra and Lagos, but the spectacular exuberance of Abidjan’s La Pyramide and Yaounde’s Hôtel de Ville are also among the many visual delights here. Both inspiring and informative, this is an essential acquisition for those interested in both (or either!) modernist buildings and African architectural history in general. Robyn Alexander