Towards the Cape Town Document

Abstract

The Modern Heritage of Africa (MoHoA) initiative was conceived at a critical confluence of existential planetary conditions and rising global inequality, exacerbated and accelerated by the Covid‐19 pandemic, the Ukraine ‐Russia war, and a resurgence of racism and extreme nationalism. These phenomena share a common root in being products of the modern age and yet, paradoxically, endanger its legacy through the pursuit of inequitable and unsustainable practices. It is one of the key questions and concerns for MoHoA. MoHoA seeks to decentre, reframe and reconceptualise the legacies of the recent past in light of these existential crises, and to acknowledge the inequitable ways in which this past has been researched and recorded, and consequently valorised and protected. This article addesses these issues in the context of African cultural heritage and the long duree of its global connections.

Understanding the multiple architectural modernities in colonial and postindependence Nigeria

“…Devising broad definitions of modernity responds to the call of the Cape Town Document on Modern Heritage for expanded definitions of modern heritage and the recognition of its diversity and complexity (Vawda & Denison, 2022a, 2022b). Such expanded understanding of what constitutes the modern, while enabling the accounting for and stratification of multiple memories and narratives, allows the inclusion of diverse types of modern architecture in conservation conversations.…”

“…However, heightened attention has been paid to conserving modern heritage, fuelled by the emergence of local, national, and supranational organizations since the 1990s (Guillet, 2007; Macdonald, 2013; Prudon, 2008). The Modern Heritage Programme jointly initiated by UNESCO, ICOMOS, and DoCoMoMo in 2001 further helped the case for the conservation of modern heritage (Vawda & Denison, 2022b). The Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI) launched by the Getty Foundation in 2012, complemented by the Keeping It Modern Initiative of 2014, was also part of the efforts aimed at promoting the conservation of modern heritage (Wilmering, 2018).…”

“…These and other activities have recognized many architectural projects as modern heritage but the definition of what constitutes modern heritage remains underexplored beyond its loose characterization as the heritage of the twentieth century. Furthermore, the Cape Town Document's call for expanded definitions of modern heritage and the recognition of its diversity and complexity implied that only a narrow range of schema was constructed as modern heritage (Vawda & Denison, 2022a, 2022b).…”

“…the conservation of modern heritage (Vawda & Denison, 2022b). The Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI) launched by the Getty Foundation in 2012, complemented by the Keeping It Modern Initiative of 2014, was also part of the efforts aimed at promoting the conservation of modern heritage (Wilmering, 2018).…”

AltText: An institutional tool for change

“…While journal article captions aim to be short and set the context for an image, AltText is intentionally published to allow those using screen readers to experience the content of an image when it cannot be observed. Should readers wish to see an example, we direct your attention to the extensive description to support an image of a 19th‐century plate that reflected historical Western European prejudice when we were first working with authors to test our proposed policy (Vawda & Denison, 2022). These texts do more than simply describe what can be seen, they include the voice of the author guiding the reader through its choices in the context of the research, providing additional insights into that research, and the priorities and decision‐making processes relevant to that work.…”