Assessing an unequal Accra in the wake of David Adjaye's recent controversies
The firm’s website still tags the National Cathedral, the Du Bois Museum Complex and others as ‘current’ projects, in contrast to on-the-ground reality. In the midst of a lack of transparency, and accountability, what remains clear is the mistake we make when we expect global celebrities who have cut their teeth in the transactional corridors of the corporate world to switch to an opposite ethic in the name of local solidarity or values.Adjaye had faced criticism from numerous political figures in Ghana over alleged favoritism and high-profile public commissions even before being swept up by the sexual misconduct allegations that shocked the architecture world last summer. Now, writer Anakwa Dwamena reports that his visions for an increasingly unequal Accra have gone largely unrealized, leaving behind 17-acre “eyesores” in place of the controversial Ghana National Cathedral project and looming threats to two important heritage sites imposed by his Marine Drive redevelopment vision — both of which have yet to be built.
The firm’s website still tags the National Cathedral, the Du Bois Museum Complex and others as ‘current’ projects, in contrast to on-the-ground reality. In the midst of a lack of transparency, and accountability, what remains clear is the mistake we make when we expect global celebrities who have cut their teeth in the transactional corridors of the corporate world to switch to an opposite ethic in the name of local solidarity or values.
Adjaye had faced criticism from numerous political figures in Ghana over alleged favoritism and high-profile public commissions even before being swept up by the sexual misconduct allegations that shocked the architecture world last summer. Now, writer Anakwa Dwamena reports that his visions for an increasingly unequal Accra have gone largely unrealized, leaving behind 17-acre “eyesores” in place of the controversial Ghana National Cathedral project and looming threats to two important heritage sites imposed by his Marine Drive redevelopment vision — both of which have yet to be built.
