- Accused killer of US insurance CEO pleads not guilty to 'terrorist' murder
- Global stock markets mostly higher
- Not for sale. Greenland shrugs off Trump's new push
- Sweden says China blocked prosecutors' probe of ship linked to cut cables
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- Sweden says China denied request for prosecutors to probe ship linked to cut undersea cables
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- Global stock markets edge higher as US inflation eases rate fears
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- 'Devastated' Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
- Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system
- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Amaze Unveils Record-Breaking 2024 Results and Strategic Creator Campaign for 2025
- Cosmos Health CEO Greg Siokas and CFO George Terzis Collectively Increase Stake by 343,000 Shares Valued at $200,000
- MGO Global Announces Pricing of Upsized $6.0 Million Public Offering
- Upexi Regains Compliance with NASDAQ
- Shore Fire Media Client Bonnie Raitt and 42West Client Francis Ford Coppola are Recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors
- BluSky Carbon Announces $1 Million Convertible Debenture Financing
- Abasca Resources Closes Non-Brokered Private Placement of $3.2 Million
- Greenlane Appoints Rob Shields as Chief Growth Officer
- American Resources Corporation's ReElement Technologies Produces Greater than 99.5% Pure Terbium For National Defense Supply Chain
RBGPF | 0% | 60.5 | $ | |
AZN | 0.49% | 65.675 | $ | |
GSK | 0.09% | 33.631 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.53% | 23.987 | $ | |
SCS | -2.09% | 11.5 | $ | |
NGG | 0.12% | 58.57 | $ | |
BTI | -0.78% | 35.96 | $ | |
RIO | -0.07% | 58.6 | $ | |
BP | -0.79% | 28.375 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.14% | 7.27 | $ | |
VOD | -1.02% | 8.305 | $ | |
RELX | -0.72% | 45.145 | $ | |
BCE | -2.09% | 22.685 | $ | |
BCC | -0.63% | 121.98 | $ | |
JRI | 0.08% | 12.07 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.13% | 23.53 | $ |
'Happiest man' Kere first African to win Pritzker architecture prize
The Pritzker Prize, architecture's most prestigious award, was awarded Tuesday to Burkina Faso-born architect Diebedo Francis Kere -- the first African to win the honor in its more than 40-year history.
Kere, 56, was hailed for his "pioneering" designs that are "sustainable to the earth and its inhabitants -- in lands of extreme scarcity," Tom Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation that sponsors the award, said in a statement.
Kere, a dual citizen of Burkina Faso and Germany, said he was the "happiest man on this planet" to become the 51st recipient of the illustrious prize since it was first awarded in 1979.
"I have a feeling of an overwhelming honour but also a sense of responsibility," he told AFP during an interview in his office in Berlin.
Kere is renowned for building schools, health facilities, housing, civic buildings and public spaces across Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Kenya, Mozambique, Togo and Sudan.
"He is equally architect and servant, improving upon the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region of the world that is at times forgotten," said Pritzker.
Kere won plaudits for his 2001 project for a primary school in Gando village, in Burkina Faso, where he was born.
Unlike traditional school buildings which used concrete, Kere's innovative design combined local clay, fortified with cement to form bricks that helped retain cooler air inside.
A wide raised tin roof protects the building from rains while helping the air circulate, meaning natural ventilation without any need for air conditioning.
Kere engaged the local community during the design and building phase, and the number of students at the school increased from 120 to 700, the Hyatt Foundation said in its release.
The success of the project saw the creation of an extension, a library and teachers' housing in later years.
- 'Natural climate' -
Kere "empowers and transforms communities through the process of architecture," designing buildings "where resources are fragile and fellowship is vital," the statement add.
"Through his commitment to social justice and engagement, and intelligent use of local materials to connect and respond to the natural climate, he works in marginalized countries laden with constraints and adversity," the organizers said.
In Kere's native Burkina Faso, his accolade was hailed as a reminder that Burkina Faso should be known internationally for more than a violent jihadist insurgency that has gripped the country.
Groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State group have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced at least 1.7 million.
"In the current pain of the security crisis, our country must remember that it is also the nation of exceptional men like Francis Kere," said Ra-Sablga Seydou Ouedraogo, of the non-profit Free Afrik.
Nebila Aristide Bazie, head of the Burkina Faso architects' council, said the award "highlights the African architect and the people of Burkina Faso."
In 2017, Kere became the first African architect to design the Serpentine pavilion in London's Hyde Park, a prestigious assignment given to a world-famous architect every year.
He was also one of the architects behind Geneva's International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and has held solo museum shows in Munich and Philadelphia.
"I am totally convinced that everyone deserves quality," he said in his office, where he celebrated his award with his team.
"I'm always thinking how can I get the best for my clients, for those who can afford but also for those who can not afford.
"This is my way of doing things, of using my architecture to create structures to serve people, let's say to serve humanity," Kere added.
pdh-burs/jh
L.Davis--AMWN