Modernity is a murky term. There is no consensus on when it started, and if it indeed already ended, nor if it is even an applicable concept outside the white West. By its dictionary definition Modernity relates to the new; it turns the future into the present. For recently deceased trailblazer scholar and curator Okwui Enzenawor “the future belongs to Africa because it seems to have happened everywhere else.”

 

This project is about Luanda’s modern architecture, which is presented through three buildings: the mysterious Palacio de Ferro, the Kinaxixi Market, and the social housing project Kilamba on the outskirts of Luanda. Each one of these constructions was ‘modern’ in the time which they were built, yet they represent different periods in Angola’s history. Besides being different structures in terms of style and function, these buildings were all built by and rooted in foreigner cultures and colonialism/imperialism. Thus, my goal is to relate ideas of ‘modern’ architecture in Luanda with foreigner interference, while also presenting an honest analysis of these three buildings, their successes, and failures.