0:00:00.780,0:00:03.651
The longest journey[br]that I have ever taken.

0:00:04.470,0:00:06.314
That was in 2002.

0:00:06.869,0:00:08.298
I was only 19 years old.

0:00:09.146,0:00:12.475
It was the first time[br]I had ever been on an airplane

0:00:12.499,0:00:15.304
and the first time[br]that I had left my country,

0:00:15.328,0:00:16.478
Rwanda.

0:00:17.423,0:00:20.614
I had to move thousands of kilometers away

0:00:20.638,0:00:21.918
to follow a dream.

0:00:22.262,0:00:25.274
A dream I have had[br]ever since I was a child.

0:00:25.889,0:00:29.862
And that dream was to become an architect.

0:00:31.264,0:00:33.865
That was impossible[br]at the time in my country.

0:00:33.889,0:00:35.720
There were no schools of architecture.

0:00:36.426,0:00:39.487
So when I got a scholarship[br]to study in China,

0:00:39.511,0:00:42.217
I left my life and my family behind

0:00:42.241,0:00:44.082
and I moved to Shanghai.

0:00:44.724,0:00:46.741
It was an amazing time.

0:00:47.252,0:00:51.579
This country was going through[br]a major building boom.

0:00:51.603,0:00:53.386
Shanghai, my new home,

0:00:53.410,0:00:55.952
was quickly turning[br]into a skyscraper city.

0:00:57.241,0:00:58.935
China was changing.

0:00:58.959,0:01:03.395
World-class projects were built[br]to convey a new image of development.

0:01:03.889,0:01:09.579
Modern, striking engineering marvels[br]were going up literally everywhere.

0:01:10.493,0:01:13.188
But behind these facades,

0:01:13.212,0:01:17.434
exploitation of huge numbers[br]of migrant workers,

0:01:17.458,0:01:20.615
massive displacement[br]of thousands of people

0:01:20.639,0:01:22.662
made these projects possible.

0:01:23.042,0:01:24.968
And this fast-paced development

0:01:24.992,0:01:27.979
also contributed significantly[br]to the pollution

0:01:28.003,0:01:29.639
that is haunting China today.

0:01:30.758,0:01:32.696
Fast-forward to 2010,

0:01:32.720,0:01:34.848
when I went back home to Rwanda.

0:01:35.320,0:01:39.572
There, I found development patterns[br]similar to what I saw in China.

0:01:40.087,0:01:46.059
The country was and still is experiencing[br]its own population and economic growth.

0:01:46.574,0:01:49.749
The pressure to build cities,[br]infrastructure and buildings

0:01:49.773,0:01:51.669
is at its peak,

0:01:51.693,0:01:52.915
and as a result,

0:01:52.939,0:01:55.343
there is a massive building boom as well.

0:01:56.392,0:02:01.266
This is the reality across[br]the entire continent of Africa,

0:02:01.290,0:02:02.440
and here's why.

0:02:02.913,0:02:06.021
By 2050, Africa's population will double,

0:02:06.045,0:02:09.532
reaching 2.5 billion people.

0:02:10.323,0:02:11.935
At this point,

0:02:11.959,0:02:16.990
the African population will be[br]slightly less than the current population

0:02:17.014,0:02:21.156
of China and India combined.

0:02:22.963,0:02:27.932
The infrastructure and buildings needed[br]to accommodate this many people

0:02:27.956,0:02:31.491
is unprecedented[br]in the history of humankind.

0:02:32.072,0:02:35.410
We have estimated that by 2050,

0:02:35.434,0:02:40.652
we have to build[br]700,000,000 more housing units,

0:02:40.676,0:02:43.664
more than 300,000 schools

0:02:43.688,0:02:47.677
and nearly 100,000 health centers.

0:02:49.173,0:02:51.840
Let me put that into perspective for you.

0:02:52.902,0:02:56.584
Every day for the next 35 years,

0:02:56.608,0:02:59.521
we have to build seven health centers,

0:02:59.545,0:03:01.403
25 schools

0:03:01.427,0:03:06.129
and nearly 60,000 housing units each day,

0:03:06.153,0:03:07.443
every day.

0:03:10.039,0:03:12.911
How are we going to build all of this?

0:03:13.698,0:03:18.055
Are we going to follow a model[br]of unsustainable building and construction

0:03:18.079,0:03:20.295
similar to what I witnessed in China?

0:03:20.319,0:03:24.352
Or can we develop a uniquely African model

0:03:24.376,0:03:27.448
of sustainable and equitable development?

0:03:27.905,0:03:29.594
I'm optimistic we can.

0:03:29.992,0:03:32.560
I know Africans who are already doing it.

0:03:33.334,0:03:36.374
Take Nigerian architect[br]Kunlé Adeyemi for instance,

0:03:36.398,0:03:39.635
and his work in slums[br]of coastal megacities.

0:03:40.121,0:03:43.042
Places like Makoko in Lagos,

0:03:43.066,0:03:47.827
where hundreds of thousands of people[br]live in makeshift structures on stilts

0:03:47.851,0:03:49.028
on water,

0:03:49.052,0:03:51.459
without government[br]infrastructure or services.

0:03:52.272,0:03:57.842
A community at great risk[br]of rising sea levels and climate change.

0:03:58.223,0:04:02.576
And yet, people who live here[br]are examples of great ingenuity

0:04:02.600,0:04:04.621
and the will to survive.

0:04:04.645,0:04:07.720
Kunlé and his team have designed[br]a prototype school

0:04:07.744,0:04:10.713
that is resilient to rising sea levels.

0:04:10.737,0:04:12.989
This is Makoko School.

0:04:14.502,0:04:18.707
It's a floating prototype structure[br]that can be adapted to clinics,

0:04:18.731,0:04:21.480
to housing, to markets

0:04:21.504,0:04:24.052
and other vital infrastructure[br]this community needs.

0:04:24.076,0:04:26.116
It's an ingenious solution

0:04:26.140,0:04:30.894
that can ensure this community[br]lives safely on the waters of Lagos.

0:04:31.895,0:04:33.950
This is Francis Kéré.

0:04:34.726,0:04:36.775
He works in the country[br]where he comes from,

0:04:36.799,0:04:37.949
Burkina Faso.

0:04:38.374,0:04:43.930
Kéré and his team have designed projects[br]that use traditional building techniques.

0:04:44.434,0:04:47.089
Kéré and his team[br]working in the communities

0:04:47.113,0:04:49.934
have developed prototype schools

0:04:49.958,0:04:51.450
that the whole community,

0:04:51.474,0:04:55.098
similar to every project[br]in the villages of this country,

0:04:55.122,0:04:57.010
comes together to build.

0:04:58.028,0:05:01.011
Children bring stones for the foundation,

0:05:01.035,0:05:04.366
women bring water[br]for the brick manufacturing,

0:05:04.390,0:05:08.042
and everybody works together[br]to pound the clay floors.

0:05:08.946,0:05:10.232
Working with the community,

0:05:10.256,0:05:13.891
Kéré and his team have created[br]projects that function better,

0:05:13.915,0:05:16.551
with adequate lighting[br]and adequate ventilation.

0:05:17.231,0:05:20.303
They're appropriate[br]for this particular context

0:05:20.327,0:05:22.153
and really, really beautiful as well.

0:05:22.881,0:05:24.644
For the past seven years,

0:05:24.668,0:05:28.242
I have been working as an architect[br]at MASS Design Group.

0:05:28.266,0:05:30.983
It's a design firm that began in Rwanda.

0:05:32.480,0:05:35.710
We have worked[br]in several countries in Africa,

0:05:35.734,0:05:40.047
focusing on this more equitable[br]and sustainable model

0:05:40.071,0:05:41.911
of architectural practice,

0:05:41.935,0:05:44.155
and Malawi is one of those countries.

0:05:44.587,0:05:47.991
It's a country with beautiful,[br]remote landscapes

0:05:48.015,0:05:50.988
with high-peak mountains[br]and fertile valleys.

0:05:51.440,0:05:55.455
But it also has one of the worst[br]maternal mortality rates in the world.

0:05:57.067,0:06:00.544
A pregnant woman in Malawi[br]either gives birth at home,

0:06:00.568,0:06:04.554
or she has to walk a really long journey[br]to the nearest clinic.

0:06:05.535,0:06:10.974
And one out of 36 of these mothers[br]dies during childbirth.

0:06:12.647,0:06:13.798
In Malawi,

0:06:13.822,0:06:15.712
with our team at MASS Design Group,

0:06:15.736,0:06:18.146
we designed the Kasungu[br]Maternity Waiting Village.

0:06:18.856,0:06:22.869
This is a place women come to[br]six weeks before their due dates.

0:06:23.733,0:06:25.591
Here they receive prenatal care

0:06:25.615,0:06:29.051
and train in nutrition[br]and family planning.

0:06:29.604,0:06:32.172
At the same time, they form a community

0:06:32.196,0:06:34.715
with other expectant mothers[br]and their families.

0:06:36.960,0:06:39.485
The design of the of Kasungu[br]Maternity Waiting Village

0:06:39.509,0:06:43.613
borrows from the vernacular[br]typologies of Malawi villages

0:06:43.637,0:06:47.840
and is built using really simple[br]materials and techniques.

0:06:48.230,0:06:53.015
The earth blocks that we used[br]were made from the same soil of this site.

0:06:53.803,0:06:57.096
This reduces the carbon footprint[br]of this building,

0:06:57.120,0:06:59.191
but first and foremost,

0:06:59.215,0:07:04.842
it provides a safe and dignified space[br]for these expectant mothers.

0:07:05.361,0:07:08.305
These examples show[br]that architecture and design

0:07:08.329,0:07:14.260
have the power and the agency[br]to address complex problems.

0:07:15.885,0:07:18.617
But more to point,

0:07:18.641,0:07:22.338
that we can develop[br]a model of effective solutions

0:07:22.362,0:07:23.741
for our communities.

0:07:24.476,0:07:27.016
But these three examples are not enough.

0:07:28.128,0:07:31.358
300 more examples will not be enough.

0:07:32.198,0:07:37.556
We need a whole community[br]of African architects and designers

0:07:37.580,0:07:40.503
to lead with thousands more examples.

0:07:41.182,0:07:43.024
In May of this year,

0:07:43.048,0:07:46.619
we convened a symposium[br]on African architecture, in Kigali,

0:07:46.643,0:07:50.341
and we invited many[br]of the leading African designers

0:07:50.365,0:07:53.984
and architectural educators[br]working across the continent.

0:07:54.617,0:07:56.666
We all had one thing in common.

0:07:58.398,0:08:02.565
Every single one of us[br]went to school abroad

0:08:02.589,0:08:04.470
and outside of Africa.

0:08:04.494,0:08:06.081
This has to change.

0:08:07.271,0:08:10.628
If we are to develop[br]solutions unique to us,

0:08:10.652,0:08:14.128
rather than attempting to turn[br]Kigali into Beijing,

0:08:14.152,0:08:16.637
or Lagos into Shenzhen,

0:08:16.661,0:08:18.415
we need a community

0:08:18.439,0:08:21.764
that will build the design confidence[br]of the next generation

0:08:21.788,0:08:24.166
of African architects and designers.

0:08:24.846,0:08:32.316
(Applause)

0:08:32.719,0:08:34.031
In September last year,

0:08:34.055,0:08:37.135
we launched the African Design Centre

0:08:37.159,0:08:39.864
to start building this community.

0:08:41.700,0:08:44.917
We admitted 11 fellows[br]from across the continent.

0:08:46.021,0:08:50.359
It's a 20-month-long,[br]design-build fellowship program.

0:08:51.091,0:08:53.981
Here, they are learning[br]to tackle big challenges

0:08:54.005,0:08:56.517
such as urbanism and climate change,

0:08:56.541,0:08:58.320
as Kunlé and his team have.

0:08:59.367,0:09:00.950
They're working with communities

0:09:00.974,0:09:05.058
to develop innovative[br]building solutions and processes,

0:09:05.082,0:09:07.287
as Kéré and his team have.

0:09:08.230,0:09:12.231
They're learning to understand[br]the health impact of better buildings

0:09:12.255,0:09:15.731
as we at MASS Design Group[br]have been researching

0:09:15.755,0:09:17.361
for the past several years.

0:09:17.896,0:09:20.208
The crowning moment of the fellowship

0:09:20.232,0:09:23.875
is a real project[br]that they designed and built.

0:09:24.407,0:09:26.924
This is Ruhehe Primary School,

0:09:26.948,0:09:28.407
the project they designed.

0:09:28.431,0:09:32.734
They immersed themselves in the community[br]to understand the challenges

0:09:32.758,0:09:35.063
but also uncover opportunities,

0:09:35.087,0:09:39.219
like using a wall[br]made of local volcanic stone

0:09:39.243,0:09:43.320
to turn the entire campus[br]into a space of play and active learning.

0:09:44.644,0:09:47.490
They evaluated[br]the environmental conditions

0:09:47.514,0:09:50.768
and developed a roof system[br]that maximizes daylight

0:09:50.792,0:09:52.850
and improves acoustic performance.

0:09:53.243,0:09:57.433
The construction at Ruhehe Primary School[br]will begin this year.

0:09:58.861,0:10:04.735
(Applause)

0:10:04.759,0:10:06.243
And over the coming months,

0:10:06.267,0:10:09.873
the African Design Centre fellows[br]are going to work hand-in-hand

0:10:09.897,0:10:12.434
with the Ruhehe community to build it.

0:10:13.493,0:10:14.736
When we asked the fellows

0:10:14.760,0:10:18.552
what they want to do after[br]their African Design Centre fellowship,

0:10:18.576,0:10:20.835
Tshepo from South Africa said

0:10:20.859,0:10:24.114
he wants to introduce this new way[br]of building into his country,

0:10:24.138,0:10:27.383
so he plans to open[br]a private practice in Johannesburg.

0:10:27.985,0:10:32.238
Zani wants to expand opportunities[br]for women to become engineers.

0:10:32.966,0:10:35.102
Before joining the African Design Centre,

0:10:35.126,0:10:36.858
she helped start, in Nairobi,

0:10:36.882,0:10:41.573
an organization to bridge the gender gaps[br]for women in engineering fields,

0:10:41.597,0:10:44.847
and she hopes to take[br]this movement across Africa,

0:10:44.871,0:10:46.448
eventually the whole world.

0:10:47.574,0:10:50.017
Moses, from South Sudan,

0:10:50.041,0:10:52.216
the world's newest country,

0:10:52.240,0:10:55.232
wants to open the first polytechnic school

0:10:55.256,0:11:00.280
that will teach people how to build[br]using local materials from his country.

0:11:01.746,0:11:05.244
Moses had to be determined[br]to become an architect.

0:11:06.105,0:11:11.417
The civil war in his country frequently[br]interrupted his architectural education.

0:11:12.430,0:11:15.786
At the time he was applying[br]to join the African Design Centre,

0:11:15.810,0:11:20.501
we could hear gunshots going off[br]in the background of his interview call.

0:11:21.546,0:11:24.872
But even in the middle of this civil war,

0:11:24.896,0:11:26.731
Moses hangs on to this idea

0:11:26.755,0:11:31.781
that architecture can be a way[br]to bridge communities back together.

0:11:32.727,0:11:36.037
You have to be inspired[br]by this fellow's belief

0:11:36.061,0:11:38.585
that great architecture[br]can make a difference

0:11:38.609,0:11:41.419
on how the future of Africa is built.

0:11:42.514,0:11:46.270
The unprecedented growth of Africa[br]cannot be ignored.

0:11:47.258,0:11:50.881
Imagine Africa's future cities,

0:11:50.905,0:11:53.387
but not as vast slums,

0:11:53.411,0:11:55.292
but the most resilient

0:11:55.316,0:11:58.697
and the most socially inclusive[br]places on earth.

0:11:58.721,0:12:00.848
This is achievable.

0:12:01.909,0:12:06.028
And we have the talent[br]to make it a reality.

0:12:06.052,0:12:10.039
But the journey to ready that talent[br]for the task ahead,

0:12:10.063,0:12:11.730
like my own journey,

0:12:11.754,0:12:13.000
is far too long.

0:12:14.674,0:12:19.107
For the next generation[br]of African creative leaders,

0:12:19.131,0:12:22.566
we have to shorten[br]and streamline that journey.

0:12:23.106,0:12:24.492
But most importantly --

0:12:24.516,0:12:26.839
and I cannot stress this enough --

0:12:26.863,0:12:29.141
we have to build their design confidence

0:12:29.165,0:12:33.358
and empower them to develop solutions[br]that are truly African

0:12:33.382,0:12:35.593
but globally inspiring.

0:12:36.082,0:12:37.233
Thank you very much.

0:12:37.257,0:12:44.257
(Applause)