Years ago in Dar es Salaam, I accompanied a delegation from Namibia and Zimbabwe to the site where the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) office once stood – established during its armed struggle for independence. Most of the buildings had been demolished and replaced by a parking lot. One of the Namibians had spent years working there during the liberation struggle. Someone had buried the shared history of two nations under concrete. I felt embarrassed. It was a painful reminder of our fixation on erasing our architectural heritage.
I suspect our planning officials are fixated on replicating the high-rise skylines of Hong Kong, New York and Dubai. Social media is flooded with comparisons showing African city skylines alongside those of major cities in Asia, Europe and the US.
Cities run on money, and a parking lot often generates more revenue than an old building. But broader public consultation is needed to bring alternative perspectives to such decisions. Historic buildings should be valued for their cultural legacy, not just as spaces. Many also bear the scars of colonialism and the slave trade. However, preserving them is a duty to future generations, offering a foundation for understanding what lies ahead.
Hundreds of thousands visit Zanzibar annually – not just for its beaches, but for its preserved architecture. Stone Town’s inclusion on the list of Indian, Arab and European styles has earned it UNESCO World Heritage status. The point is: old buildings can be economically valuable.
Until recently, high-rise development was impractical. Our cities lacked the infrastructure to support energy-intensive buildings reliant on air conditioning, lifts, lighting, and water systems. Although we now enjoy relatively reliable electricity supply, challenges remain in servicing these high-rise buildings.
And who really benefits from towers? Mostly a small elite who can afford the offices, shops or boutiques they house.
This lifestyle also concentrates people in ways that strain city systems: pigeon-hole living, waste and collection and disposal. The best path forward requires innovation and smart resource use, but reuse and adaptation of old buildings to meet current needs.
I must raise a personal issue to planning officials – who are focused on new flyovers in Dar es Salaam and a six-lane highway to Chalinze – to care about preserving a 100-year-old building. Yet, that is exactly what they must do if the historic structures are to help connect people and their past.
Modernity shouldn’t discard the values that connect us to our history – values embodied in old buildings. Meaningful progress doesn’t have to exclude heritage.
Much older architecture may be gone, but we can still preserve what remains.
