Architects of Liberation shows West Africa's independence-era buildings

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York calls its new show "the first major exhibition to examine modern architecture". That claim has limits, so look at the scope. The show covers seven countries: Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. It looks at buildings from the late 1950s to the early 1980s.

The context

The buildings make more sense with the politics in view. Ghana's independence in 1957 began a wave of states leaving colonial rule. By 1975, each West African country was independent. New leaders wanted buildings that broke with the colonial look, Apollo says. The work grew from local settings, so it differs from the modernism that many people picture.

A tower, a bank and a school hall

The photos give a first taste of the work. La Pyramide in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was designed by Rinaldo Olivieri and built from 1968 to 1973. It changed the city's skyline for good, one review says.

In Lomé, Togo, the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement went up in 1979 and 1980. Guy Durand, Yves Ménard and Messan Raphaël Ekoué-Hagbonon designed it. A school hall in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, was done around 1978. Jean Léon designed that one. The show uses 2025 photos of all three by François-Xavier Gbré.

One older image shows children outside Bolgatanga Library in Ghana in December 1967. Willis Bell took it. It comes from the Max Bond papers at Columbia University.

What is on view

The museum's page says the show has about 450 objects, from drawings and models to old photos. They come from over 50 lenders in 17 countries. The vast majority have never been shown in public, the museum says.

Three people led the work. Martino Stierli is the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design. Ikem Stanley Okoye of the University of Delaware is the guest curator. Mallory Cohen is the curatorial associate. Together they focus on the first trained African architects.

Our view

We would start with the photos, since the museum shows 2025 views beside a scene from Ghana in 1967. That pairing lets you see the buildings and the years that shaped them.

My imaginary hard hat and I are ready for the building tour.

The show is on the third floor, and it runs until 2 January 2027.

Would you visit?