I’ve never really managed to explain exactly why the building style of structures in South Africa is so out of place. Except for the fact that it’s not vernacular. But I’m reading about hegemony in architecture and here’s the deal:

The first introduction of what we have now conditioned ourselves to believe is “beautiful buildings”, was obviously through colonialism. But, in very significant ways, erecting these permanent structures in a land that previously only knew fluid architecture,

was a way to further introduce imperial dominance in a way that I personally think was very successful simply because it’s permanent. They then constructed this very sedentary community which gave them so much control beyond that time because once again: permanence.

I’ve been thinking a lot about hegemony in architecture since I read this thread from @Neo_url about how apartheid architecture is so heavily inspired by brutalism (can’t find the tweet but I’m sure you know that feeling of looking at a building and knowing it was built then)

Anyways, all these western influences on South African architecture then AND now, has been the smartest thing people have done to not only eradicate vernacular methods, but to enforce dominance in a subtle way. It’s as simple as - we engage with this architecture EVERY DAY.

Humans, especially in the African region were never meant to be sedentary. Our land does not allow. But that’s a different chat.

We engage with these buildings every day, we live in these houses inspired by “Tuscany” or whatever. And in that way, we are also kind of perpetuating western dominance upon ourself.

So in a way when we’re busy standing in the middle of sandton admiring the buildings, we’re almost admiring a long structural predominance and fulfilling the intent behind this hegemony by feeling intimidated in these spaces.

Anyways, let me go write my essay since I basically tweeted the whole thing