My African Home
Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Silkata A. Şahin-Adu
An AFRICAN CENTRE in Germany
Since I am working as an architect, people keep on meeting me to share thoughts about building an AFRICAN CENTRE inGermany. Of course, if you google the title AFRICAN CENTRE you will find an amazing variety of NGO´s all around the globe with the idea of creating a place to feel a bit at home, but also trying to uplift the African image and close cultural gaps.
But what is the main goal behind the idea of an AFRICAN CENTRE inGermany? And where should it be located?Berlin,Hamburg, Or at a different place? Which size should it have? And what should be found in an AFRICAN CENTRE? Who should be attracted?
The sky is the limit
The idea of an AFRICAN CENTRE, if you would ask me of course here in Hamburg, get´s closer from different directions. If the ideas where all mixed together, it would be some kind of mall with exhibition gallery, shops, a restaurant and chop-bars, offices, guest- and congress rooms, that could be used for political, cultural or party-events, an African influenced church and a kind of open area for a market place or open-air events.
Why not find the happy medium? To bring together business-men and business-women, who are experienced in running a business with African products and who are yearning for exploit into a greater sum of clients (Africans, Germans and other migrants)? Concentrated on one place with a car park? Please, close your eyes and imagine the scenery: Walking humbly through the AFRICAN CENTRE, going shopping, meeting friends and watching tourists and TV-sets who like to take the AFRICAN CENTRE as their background. It would be an attraction.
Share your thoughts and write a mail to the African Heritage team.
About the author:
Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Silkata A. Şahin-Adu is owner of s-plan architects, Hamburg. She studied architecture at Dortmund, where she could also emphasize on building in tropical and subtropical regions. As her working-fields have a wide range today, she also started to publish on www.safo-adu.de