For two consecutive years, I have been part of a team of academics and PhD students who together organize the Accra Architectural and Urbanism Workshop (in July 2018 and June 2019). Working with Ola Uduku (Manchester School of Architecture), Irene Appeaning-Addo (University of Ghana, Legon), Joseph Frimpong (Ashesi University) and Kuukuwa Manful (SOAS), we organized writing workshops for undergraduate, masters, and PhD students to learn about and write about specific architectural sites in the city of Accra.
2018, in addition to helping workshop preparations and planning, I joined as a workshop tutor. I supported a small group of undergraduate students to explore, research, and document the architectural history and present-day realities of the University of Ghana’s Balme Library. I coordinated an informational tour with the head librarian, encouraged them to use transect walks and informal interviews with library users, and edited the initial and final drafts of their essays. I also worked with a small website team of participants to produce an online blog showcasing their work:
www.africarchi.wordpress.com
I also wrote my own reflective essay.
In 2019, I again helped organized preparations and plans and joined as a workshop tutor. I supported four students to explore, research, and document the architectural, design and wider planning history and present-day usages of the Old Kingsway Building, located in Old Accra (Ga Mashie). I facilitated their interviews with local resident experts and provided editorial support as they pitched ideas for their essays and produced initial drafts. I also coordinated a talk by Nat Nuno Amartefio, former mayor of Accra for the students, and he shared his insights on the various international and regional influences on Accra’s architecture.
victoria ọgọegbunam okoye 