8/3/2019 To be or Not to be, Traditionalist or Modernist,
Nationalist or Internationalist, That is the Question - Almeida,
Anthony B.
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'To be or not to be - traditionalist or modernist,nationalist or
internationalist - that is the question'for architects in
TanzaniaAnthony B.Almeida - R.I.B.A., Chartered Architect, Dare s
Salaam, Tanzania
TRADITIONALIST
Let me def ine the meaning of he word ' t radit ion'. Tra-dit
ion is the way of i fe or doing things in the mannerthat is handed
down from generat ion to generat ion.In the f ie ld of architec
ture a t radit ionalis t is one whodesigns (and builds) in the
manner o f h e forefathers.Such an approach can only be relevant
and ustifiable ifnothing has changed between the period of the
pastand the period of he present. This implies that peoplehave to
be livi ng in isolation i n a statio life style.Admi ttedly such a
state did exist duri ng the past peri-ods of colonial rules when
Africa's aspirations and p ro-gress were totally frozen. Such is
not the case today.Having said this, here i n Tanzania progress
appears tobe bypass ing a major ity of people who l ive in the
moreremote rural areas. Their dwellings o f mud, wattle andthatch
are missing ou t on the benefits of present dayknow-hours and
inputs, which would have ensuredstructures of higher quality and
longer life.We thus have a case where moth er architecture is
guiltyof only car ing for he chi ldren who l ive in the urbanareas
and neg lecting to care for the greater number o fher children who
live in the rural areas.Now he quest ion - t o be or not o be.
Should we archi-tects in Tanzania be traditionalists as oft he ype
I havedescribed or have I wrongly described traditionalists?Would
you agree with Charles Correa, the renown thirdworld architect who
has this to say - 'when we architectsimitate th e vernacular, we
are making paper flowers'.
MODERNIST
The dictionary defines the word modern as meaning- of he present
or recent t imes. A modernis t architectis therefore an architect
tackles today's requirem entsand problems with today's solutions.A
modernist architect is the one who is guided by thefollow ing
statement from 'Studio Buddha' (Chinese), afollower o f which was
the great, late architect - FrankLloyd Wright.'Except to an
ignoramus o r intellectualist, nothingimitative can equal that
which is imitated . Instead ofimitating effects, search for the
principles that madethem original and own your won effects.'
This to me, has been my eleventh commandment. Anot too comm on
misconception amongst some it thatmode rn architecture is western
architecture as if to saythat the western world has the sole
monopoly overmodernity. Since Africa's progress remained frozenand
static during he part periods of he colonial rules,freed Africa is
only a late starter in the race towardsadvancement and progress,
and a follower but not acopier.The late Mahatma Candhi of ndia had
his to say to hispeople:'Open the windows a nd doors o f your
houses and letthe winds pass through, but n so doing be careful
notto be swep t off your feet'.
8/3/2019 To be or Not to be, Traditionalist or Modernist,
Nationalist or Internationalist, That is the Question - Almeida,
Anthony B.
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