The Agenda of Decoloniality
Exploring Colonial Legacies and Rituals of Knowledge-Making
AYOMINI KAREN ARCH 3012 ARCH & MODERNITYABSTRACT
This essay explores the intricate interplay between authorship, autonomy, and the analysis of decoloniality in architecture. It critically examines the power dynamics within the Global North and their reverberating effects on the construction of political and historic narratives in the ‘Primitive’ East. The essay delves into the agenda of decoloniality and questions its productivity. It discusses territorial and colonial violence, the construction of evidence, and the role of tradition in knowledge construction. The essay highlights the narratives of architectural scholars, their disassociation and overassociation with their scholarly subjects, architectural sites and authorship with the archives. It critiques the historiography that aims to re-narrate and argues that it often fetishizes marginalization without truly mobilizing the agenda of decoloniality. The crisis of identity, the concept of Homo Sacre, and the importance of highlighting cultural practices are also examined. The essay emphasizes the need to move beyond fixed locations and the limits of architectural narratives. It advocates for pluralizing authorship and providing context rather than a definitive narrative in architectural history. The flawed nature of decoloniality and how architecture is swallowed up in a greater cultural construction are discussed. The essay explores the inseparability of physical structure from other aspects of life and encourages reading and consuming outside of boundaries. It also references the concept of legibility and its coercive abstraction, treating different people, places, and ways of life as if they were the same. The essay suggests using Postcolonial Lagos as a site of critical analysis and comparison with Chandigarh to base its meta notions and critical theories. Ultimately, it underscores the political nature of accounting in architecture with an emphasis on the role of literacy in addressing power imbalances, exploitation and how we may use what we are left with.
Introduction
It is worth suggesting that the idea of architecture as a political tool is directly proportional to the concept that chosen ignorance is the foundation of racial capitalism.
The term Homo Sacer, which translates to "the sacred man" or "the accursed man" in Latin, refers to someone who can be killed without the killer being considered a murderer. It also refers to a person who cannot be sacrificed. One could argue that being an 'other' equates to being like Homo Sacer, alive but not fully recognized as a living being, with one's existence reduced to a state of liminality.
Recognizing the persistent biases of colonial narratives in the context of architecture is based on this idea and disseminating the process of decolonizing a subject might prove to be productive.
It involves questioning scholarly accounts, curriculums, professional practice, notions of civilization, and the built urban environment in this case ‘the city’ - a representation of all possibilities in the world. The Nigerian city of Lagos serves as a framework for critical theory, intermittently referencing it’s similarities to Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh, rather than being solely studied as a comprehensive site.
"A metropolis is an addictive machine, from which there is no escape, unless it offers that, too."
- Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York 1978A metropolis amid radical upheaval is presented with bold claims: 'only question is where'.The former statement suggests that, due to infrastructure,mapping, planning and modernism, the city (Lagos) and might we add in a historical context – Postcolonial Lagos sells its inhabitants a dream while serving an agenda driven solely by capitalist ideologies and
neo colonial motives. This brings the intersection of political architecture, infrastructure, and modern-day racial and territorial violence to a tipping point. Thus, the city is unable to resolve its rich histories, meet with its identity, and move forward without engulfing its inhabitants whole. This implies that the only possible outcome is to die and be reborn in to what Sharpe describes in her text on blackness and being as ' In The Wake'.
The continuous othering of Lagos' culture and the ongoing replacement of its architecture with imposing structures have been happening since it was declared a British colony on the 5th of March 1862. The earth beneath the city, with a soil that holds the black bodies and narrates the inconceivable stories, is bursting at its seams in the southwest of Nigeria. Lagos has been progressively fracturing. This in-depth analysis of an urban entity proves valuable in critiquing the ideologies born out of Western cannoning and, dare I say, the operations of decolonisation.
What is the aim of decoloniality and how effective is it in achieving its objectives?
The vision for decoloniality is to challenge and dismantle the remnants of colonialism, address power imbalances and Eurocentric perspectives that still influence global systems and knowledge production in the west and now, east.
To propose an operation, one would need to investigate closely, the subject matter. The predicament of the center versus the margin.
What is the significance of the margin? Well, the point of a margin is the fetishization of two conditions alienated. A boundary could be a line not to cross, a door, a threshold, the back of
the bus and the front. Whether physical or intangible, a margin separates and, in most cases, implies that it is governed by a hierarchal logic. The west versus the rest of the world, The white versus Non- white – i.e. the center and the margin.
The British, upon their departure, decided to partition colonial India to create a new country called Pakistan, aimed at safeguarding the Muslim minority. Throughout the 600 years of Muslim rule, a significant portion of the Indian population, about a quarter of 400 million people, had converted to Islam. The Muslims were spread all over India, deeply integrated into the social fabric of cities and villages. In most cases, the margin and the centre are used as political tools to cause disarray and leave colonial subjects needing white saviourism even after independence.
Cataloguing and classifying were essential practices in British colonial administration as they instilled a sense of order. The partition of India was the ultimate outcome of this administrative approach, representing the logical conclusion of their efforts.
A form of marginalisation translates to the way that Western powers have accounted for the world’s histories. We will now introduce the predicament of the center, margin and archive. Certain written documents are privileged and deemed valuable, while others are considered
Fig 1.1 Map showing the 1947 partition of India and the location of Chandigarh.insignificant and therefore deemed "unarchivable." The archive itself is not just a collection of data but holds a particular status.
An archive is a specific document that possesses power due to its legal designation and holds a degree of sacredness, providing illumination of information legible only to those deemed worthy enough to access it upon inquiry into shared time.
Understanding the role of the center in a historical and architectural context might shed light on why margins are not only problematic but could be productive if approached with a different set of logic.
“The Master Plan, the fables declaim, was prepared in a scant forty-eight hours. The rest was just detailing” - Chandigarh's Le Corbusier by Prakash, V.
Le Corbusier, a Swiss – French ‘star’chitect, rejected traditional decoration and aesthetics typically employed by other architects. Instead, he applied his own rational concepts to create his unique stately design such as his Chandigarh Capitol Complex and his infamous ‘Masterplan’. He imposed his own ideas and disregarded the opinions of those without agency.
Fig 1.2 1951 le Corbusier design for the new Punjabi capital at Chandigarh
While Le Corbusier emphasized efficiency in his work, he also focused on the final aesthetic appearance of his architectural conquests. It was crucial for him to make his designs look like they worked
To understand the center, one might find it easy to come to terms with the narration of a life and legacy perfected in the ideal of Western cannoning.
The overarching idea that there is a distinction between the co-ownership of the past and the immediate present, exaggerates the notion of discovery, knowledge curation, and their association with death is in itself - an architectural event.
Narrative & Publication : Chandigarh & Lagos
Urmila Eulie Chowdhury's detached third-person account of her contribution to Chandigarh’s development paired with that is Vikramaditya Prakash's intimate first-person experiences of subordination by Le Corbusier, who acted as the embodiment of colonial rule in the day-today operations of the larger agenda and Jane Drew’s eerie letter to her husband upon completion of the BP House, Ibadan Nigeria in addition to her joint treatise with Maxwell Fry on tropical architecture, expressing how freeing it has been for them as architects to break free from the constraints of outdated habits and customs is an example of the dichotomy between the disassociation and over association of the scholars and architects to the subject matter that is proven unproductive. The British architect even went on to explain “This area has been called the Architect‘s Paradise,” with the implication that the city of Lagos was a land asking to be used and abused; everything and anything was and is allowed.
Relying solely on these texts, these narrations, whether fact or fiction are insufficient to fully grasp the significance and development of these colonial sites. It is vital to step outside the textual realm and engage with the site itself. Its soil, its people, dead and alive. Examining
and reconstructing the excessive narrative of exclusion and regression that confines the site to the pages of the readings is productive and is an operation of decoloniality; however, it fails to embody the intimacy of one engaging in ritual.
This entails examining the site and its culture beyond what is written, as the texts only provide a limited understanding of its rich history.
Flaws in the Concept of Decoloniality: Embracing Diverse Authorship
The field of Architectural History goes beyond providing just answers and edited narratives; it aims to offer a contextual understanding of historical events. Context perhaps in this piece is the most intricate and yet simple term we might use, when we theorise a way forward and a better operation in comparison to decoloniality. Context in itself is a story but is defined as the “the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.”
To uncover knowledge-making rituals and tackle decolonial productivity we must look at how the colonial sited have historically preserved, recounted and shared their history.
My interest lies in carefully documenting, mapping, and collecting the everyday experiences of the Other’s; that Sharpe expresses rigorously in her simultaneous account of what it means to be in the wake. Their encounters with imminent danger and death, and exploring the ways in which we aesthetically and materially resist, disrupt, and challenge these threats to their lives. When we speak of rituals, we refer to something that is not predetermined but rather has become an inherent part of our identity. Marginalized communities need to become
accustomed to documenting their own stories, the ordinariness of their lives, and their experiences with life and death. This is necessary to give their existence a sacred significance that transcends the narratives imposed upon them by western cannoning in an historical context.
“Well, they were given food and clothing; there was a kind of care there. And what would the enslaved have done otherwise?” The “otherwise” here means: What lives would Black people have had outside of slavery? How would they have survived independently of those who enslaved them?
- Sharpe, C. (2016). In the Wake: On Blackness and Being.
Archived documents offer us fragmented glimpses of the past to be pieced together like a puzzle, arranging bits of life in chronological order to construct a narrative that links the beginning to the end. This montage of fragments creates an illusion of a complete and continuous story. In this context, historians do not merely revive the past; they bring it back to life to subsequently suppress it. By transforming historical records into tools for their own narratives, historians silence the original texts and use them as supports to voice their own interpretations.
This Western tradition alone fails to capture the essence of cultural heritage and historical traditions and applying the same operation but changing the focal point to the margins as opposed to the center is where the unproductivity lies. Documenting the cultural lineage of constant resistance is a new ritual that serves as an invitation to develop new theories and perspectives.
rit·u·al
/ˈriCH(əw)əl/
noun
1. a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
adjective
1. relating to or done as a religious or solemn rite
The term "ritual” implies two different things in context to its role as a noun or adjective, one implies that it is a given right to practise and the other is a phenomenon built over time; like a second nature. To liken this term as an operation in which to tell the stories of the other is to suggest a new notion that productivity might begin when we consider plurality and multitudeness as the driven force for narration and the margin might not necessarily be negative.
Methodology and
Productivity
Decoloniality overlooks the diverse traditions and perspectives inherent to different geographical locations. The methods available to us often force us into positions that contradict our own knowledge and understanding. The process of reconstruction entails not only verbally rebuilding narratives but also embracing multiplicity and diversity in perspectives. In other words, our literacy of the histories of the ‘other’ will not only come from scholarly work but through lived experiences. History will cease to be about the past and the dead but the middle ground for the life brought from it.
“As Dionne Brand eloquently puts it, it comes from "sitting in the room with history."”
- Sharpe, C. (2016). In the Wake: On Blackness and Being.
Illuminating cultural practices expands perspectives and observation methods in terms of moving beyond the constraints of fixed locations. It is crucial to recognize the political accountability of architecture and the construction of evidence including how traditions play a significant role in shaping knowledge, as narrated by architectural scholars.
Theorising the experiences of black individuals encourages documenting our historical and contemporary connection to physical space. It might help to suggest the notion that acknowledging the margin and the exclusion of ‘the others’ is an inherent element of decoloniality as a tool to emphasise the narration of the new spaces and stories within these confines
The act of recollection often evokes anger, shame, guilt, or resentment. To mitigate these emotions, shared ownership of these native histories if a specific time period imply a negotiation to supress their truths. Which begs the questions are all histories supposed to be shared or does the preservation of ancient traditions depend on secrecy and should be limited to the confines of the site and its natives?
Examining postcolonial cities like Lagos presents challenges due to the complex nature of the postcolonial era compared to the more comprehensible relationship between colonial powers and subjects in colonial urbanism. However, studying Lagos in the decades following independence demonstrates that a lack of vision does not imply a lack of agency.
African indigenous architecture surpasses mere instinct. It represents conscious efforts to establish functional and psychological spaces, reconciling and creating aesthetically pleasing three-dimensional forms. However, the decline in cultural values can be traced back to the process of colonization, which instilled in the African mindset the belief that both the African people and their heritage are of lesser importance in the global hierarchy.
The residual impact of colonialism and the syntax of coloniality, civilization, and the city can be observed when considering the influence of bureaucracy on architecture. The archive, in itself, holds no significance or power without an architectural dimension. This includes the physical space of the building, its structural elements such as motifs and columns, the arrangement of rooms, the organization of files, the intricate labyrinth of corridors, and the atmosphere of discipline, dim lighting, and austerity. These characteristics give the place an aura akin to that of a temple and a cemetery - a reflection of the enduring burden of the civilizing mission from the colonial experience. In the postcolonial context, however, there is a heightened risk of clouding this legacy with flattery, as the "natives" are now perceived as voluntarily admiring the West of their own accord.
The timing of the declaration of independence on October 1, 1960, was influenced by the completion of the Federal Palace Hotel. This hotel was designed by Cypriot architect Michaelidis, who tragically drowned during its construction. This implies that architecture plays a role in statehood and is used to employ the deployment of modernization and western rationale in this built yet incomplete utopia.
Fig 1.3 Photo of Federal Place Hotel, Lagos Nigeria 1960s
Lagos city serves as a model for the absolute - a representation of civilization itself, or so it hopes to be.
Uduku and Barber explore the significant impact of imperialist architecture and its oppressive effects on culture, urbanism, ecology, and identity in West Africa. Uduku emphasizes architecture as the key subject, utilizing a writing style reminiscent of Woolfin that captivates readers. Suggesting that even in the reconstruction or critical analysis of tropical architecture, there is a lack of authority; aligning with Barber's emotional critique of BP House as a symbolic representation of oppression and subjugation.
The concept of an ideal city, often associated with colonialism, became a propaganda archetype used to incorporate the entire population under the pretence of a better way of life.
Jane Drew's prominent role in this narrative, as depicted in her letter to her husband, further highlights the underlying disconnect between the inhabitants of Lagos and those responsible for the city's design. Drew's decisions regarding BP House shape the inhabitants' reaction to it and ultimately determine their socioeconomic fate.
Barber’s text reveals that Lagos yearns to be modern due to its lack of control over its colonial past, present, and future, especially considering the political climate at the time.
Fig 1.4 Fry, Drew, Drake and Lasdun, British Petroleum (BP) House, Lagos, Nigeria, completed 1960. Photograph from 1972 (left) and preliminary drawing for BP House, Denys Lasdun, 1957 (right).Despite striving for modernity, Lagos remains trapped in its colonial facade. Architecture is used as a tool of propaganda, proposing a new world and the idea of the modern metropolis as a centre for development. This neocolonial approach maintains power relations in West Africa, with those in charge of design obedient to the exploitation of natural resources, effectively enabling racial capitalism. An illustration of this can be seen in the British Royal Niger Company, which is comparable to today's Unilever.
The enduring effects of colonialism still permeate society, perpetuating power imbalances within our collective consciousness. The colonial city, fundamentally distinct from the metropolitan city, has emerged as an archetype.
The colonial city can be perceived as a dual city, featuring European architecture and urban planning in government areas, while the native quarters either face strict preservation laws or are disregarded entirely, as exemplified by Lagos.
The stark contrast between Lagos's downtown hotels, sanitized government areas, and upscale mansions and the peripheral slums and chaotic markets outside of state control underscores the dual nature of the city.
However, it is insufficient to claim that post-independence Lagos simply resembles its colonial counterpart. A new architectural image for Lagos was actively pursued, with the construction of buildings that did not bear the mark of colonization becoming a national priority.
The shape of colonial cities is heavily influenced by the world economy. Scholars such as Janet Abu-Lughod, Gwendolyn Wright, Anja Nevanlinna, and Zeynep Çelik have thoroughly explored the consequences of colonial urban policies through various case studies.
However, the concept of the ‘architecture of transience’ questions the idea of permanence and explores its potential productivity.
“My father still vividly remembers those dimensions as if they were revealed to him, and he can recite them effortlessly from his memory. After experiencing the guidance of a skilled mentor, individuals often spend a significant portion of their lifetime striving to liberate themselves from that influence.” - Chandigarh's Le Corbusier by Prakash, V.
In developing an approach to engage with a history that still has consequences in the present, we will be actively observing, collecting, and monitoring events and experiences that have a disproportionate and destructive impact on the ‘other’, regardless of their location.
The Yoruba people have long been known for their exceptional craftsmanship and immense productivity, making them stand out among the finest artisans in Africa. Their expertise encompassed a wide range of trades, including blacksmithing, weaving, leatherworking, glassmaking, as well as intricately carving ivory and wood. Nevertheless, their initial introduction to the global stage can be traced back to a letter they wrote to the Lander brothers, Portuguese traders, in 1830. One might assume that their crafts would offer insights into their historical narratives and personal stories, but it's possible that these accounts are regarded as sacred and only revealed within the confines of secrecy. To preserve and document these valuable histories, as Achille Mbembe suggests, would require embracing a methodology of statehood, allowing access to documentation that is currently restricted but could potentially be shared with the wider public.
The process of turning memory into a commodity eliminates the difference between the oppressed and the oppressor, thus giving the state the chance to achieve its long-held desire: to eliminate debt and have the opportunity to begin anew. When the Nigerian government tried to establish its unique architectural style, it was constrained by the fact that it could not
create a completely new architectural language. This limitation came about because the few prominent Nigerian architects practicing in Lagos had all been trained in London.
Additionally, the culture of the informal economy and the illegal city in Lagos was not intentionally chosen by its inhabitants, but rather shaped by them. The relationship between the government and Lagosians can be likened to a coordinated dance, with both parties influenced by a lasting legacy of colonialism.
Our Tales, Our Stories
Yoruba folklore comprises a rich collection of stories passed down through generations in the Yoruba culture. Throughout the ages, the Yoruba have cherished these stories as a means of preserving their history and values, ensuring that future generations absorb the wisdom and insight they encapsulate through griots. Griots in certain African societies inherit their position and often marry within their social caste. They pass information orally to their offspring, who continue this tradition for generations. Griots are primarily responsible for preserving history and stories through oral transmission.The Arokin in the Yoruba tribe are the holders of this knowledge and the residual stories in their memory is beyond imagination.
Yoruba folklore is not limited to mythical beings and gods; it also showcases stories that reflect human experiences and morals. Moreover, storytelling plays a significant role in preserving their cultural identity and fostering a sense of pride among Yoruba communities both within Nigeria and around the world. The tale of Moremi is renowned and widely recognized not only within the Yoruba kingdom but also beyond its borders. This captivating narrative has endured the test of time, preserved and passed down for numerous decades.
Son équipe se composait de sa femme, l'architecte Jane Drew, qui avait les mêmes vues en matière d'architecture, de cinq autres Européens et d'un architecte africain.
- Rives coloniales - architectures, de Saint-Louis à Douala
Upon their return to England, Fry and Drew received numerous requests for constructing school facilities in Nigeria. The iconic University of Ibadan, with its impressive concrete sculptures and traditional architectural structures, became widely recognized Although there was a focus on preserving tradition in political discussions, the patrons wanted contemporary buildings similar to what they saw during their travels abroad. The segregation and discrimination that were observed in urban areas during the colonial era can still be seen in post-colonial cities. Tropical modernism owes a lot to European modernist architects, especially Le Corbusier. Fry and Drew openly acknowledged their indebtedness to Le Corbusier and collaborated with him on the Chandigarh project. The intellectual connections with European modernism were evident in the physical structures, which featured sleek reinforced concrete slabs and minimalist facades.
The Nigerian Institute of Architects was founded in London by Nigerian students who later became leading architects in the country. Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian architect, challenged the validity and superiority of modern architecture within a rural community. He argued that modernity does not always lead to vitality and that change is not always for the better. He emphasized that tradition should not be dismissed as old-fashioned or associated with a lack of progress. Fathy believed that tradition serves as a social equivalent to personal habits and allows artists to focus on the essential aspects of their work. He argued that peasants in thirdworld countries have the ability to build superior and more affordable structures for themselves compared to architects.
After a rigorous study of the stagnant relationship between racial capitalism and the metropolis as an archetype, we might be able to better understand our contender as not just one entity but an ideology that has persisted since the beginning of time; oppression as a justification for greed
Architecture in theory and in practice; as well as enabling it, can also be used as a tool to cause a reversal and becomes a means to its end in the same breath. What does it mean to sit in a room with history, and how do
architects and architectural historians build a safe space/room where those stories can be told, heard, and memorized? Geographical histories can be a place of exchange between the living and the dead; however, we need to place significance on the margin, archive, and legibility
Taking on the ritual of knowledge keeping /making from the standpoint of; not the oppressor (the center), not the oppressed (the margin), but the standpoint of a vessel only (the archive). To acknowledge the agency and limitations of a narrator - an entity only able to provide context within its reach and not able to account for the multiplicity and simultaneous nature of densely rich cultures and bodies existing within that culture is playing an important role in preserving the rights of ‘the other’ in an architecturally historical context.
The city is an artefact – a collage of decorative delirium and an overdose of self-hatred, saviourism, and built symbols of capitalism. A locus of the collective memory.
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