Build Something Modern

Build Something Modern tells the story of a hidden canon of architecture - groundbreaking young architects who pushed the boundaries of design, with surprisingly little recognition in their own country. Between the 1950’s and 1970’s many adventurous architects travelled to Africa for excitement and creative freedom. At the same time others were given the opportunity to design hundreds of modern buildings in Africa, but remarkably never got to see the finished constructions. These structures - churches, seminaries, hospitals and schools - were for the most part built as part of a massive community effort. They were co-ordinated by the missionaries, often without a contractor and with the architect mostly absent. Build Something Modern reveals a surprising and untold history about these people and their innovative creations. We travel back to the 1950s, when colonies were still in place, through the atrocities of numerous wars where many of the structures were destroyed, right up to present day Africa.