By Sabina Elago
WINDHOEK– The Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN)’s Department of Architecture and Spatial Planning has received a N$45 000 from the First National Bank (FNB) Foundation for the publication of abook on the department titled Legacies of a Colonial Town that was exhibited at the Exhibition for International Architecture and Design in London in 2012.
This project was coordinated by Phillip Luhl, who is an architect and lecturer at the Poly. He developed the concept for the exhibition which looked at the way the apartheid policies imposed by the South African occupation regime impacted on Windhoek, thereby shaping and confining people’s living spaces and therefore their lives. The exhibition won recognition when showcased in London. The ongoing project “Legacies of a Colonial Town” was approached by the British Council in London through the Director of Arts at the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture to develop an exhibition on Namibia’s architecture and design for the 2012 International Architecture and Design Showcase in London.
According to the Chairperson of FNB Foundation,Jane Katjavivi, 250 copies will be printed for distribution to secondary schools throughout the country. “Our support also goes to the poster that is aimed at public and community libraries and schools, to inform people about the book,” says Katjavivi.
“My wish is that secondary school learners will also use the book in an interactive way by holding their own debates and making their own comments about the towns and villages where they live. In this way we can critically connect to our spatial environments and hopefully help plan towns that will have more positive living spaces than the ones shaped by the segregation of the past and the economic inequalities of the present,” says Katjavivi.
Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia Tjama Tjivikua says this book will help create awareness among the youth on the historical and future development of our architectures and urban design space. It will be a spark in the minds of the youth for interest in architecture and spatial design.
He says it will be useful for primary and secondary education purposes, where there is a need to advance critical thinking of learners rather then absorbing and regurgitating mere dry historical facts. “It might be a good introduction for the culturally and socially interested visitor to Namibia as well as for cultural diplomacy outside of the country,” says Tjivikua.