Speaker
Description
The only world cultural heritage site in Eritrea, the so-called African Modernist City – Asmara, bears testimony to the “[..] early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context”, says UNESCO in its official website. The statement continues to describe the city as a synthesis of modernist ideas on urban planning and its materialisation on different geographies that are also combined with the politics of colonial empires. Preserving its urban layout and built forms characterised by the Italian colonial power between the 1890s and 1940s, the city becomes an exceptional case for analysing the interchange and cultural assimilation of the successive state over the local communities and the role of the built environment in constructing collective identities in formerly colonised landscapes. The concept of cultural assimilation and collective identity in UNESCO’s statements, however, needs careful attention since it reminds the asymmetrical hierarchies between the Italian Colonial Empire and the local communities in Eritrea, and at the same time, contemporary interactions of the Eritreans’ colonial past and sovereign nation-building processes.
Asmara’s unique value lies in the distinct urban texture characterised mostly by the Italian colonial rule in the 20th century, through which one can observe the construction of modernist architecture in the African context and enjoy the hidden aura of the 30’s Italian cities lingering in the streets of its historic core. The internal and external publications, heavily including the picturesque views of former colonial built forms, served as a boom in marketing the European treasures in the African continent ready for rediscovery by today’s traveller gaze – a touristic experience that reinforces the production of colonial nostalgia (Fuller, 2011). Yet, being the capital city of Mussolini’s colonial expansion, the city and its dwellers witnessed more than the joy of modernism – they were subjected to oppressions of racial, class and gender-based social hierarchies. Through obtaining a decolonial and transcultural voice, this study aims to elaborate on the obscured aspects of Asmara's history, critically deconstruct the heritage of its urban spheres, and recontextualise the ongoing practices of the heritage industry heavily influenced by Western-oriented perspectives.
In an exploration spanning various epochs of Asmara's history, my endeavour is to unravel the dominant narrative that has long shaped perceptions of the city's heritage. Employing a transcultural and decolonial framework, I delve into the hegemonic power dynamics that have characterized its trajectory, from the era of Mussolini's reign to the contemporary era heavily influenced by the global tourism industry. My examination extends beyond mere architectural analysis to scrutinize the intricate web of social inequalities, othering, and racial and gender-based segregation that have defined the city's social fabric. Central to this endeavour is the dissection of the colonial-modernist construct that underpins Asmara's architectural landscape, revealing how it intersected with and reinforced the embedded social hierarchies. The Eurocentric value system that has historically shaped the city's development and social spaces still inherently impacts its experience as well as future regeneration. By shedding light on this pervasive meaning-making mechanism, my aim is not only to challenge prevailing narratives but also to prompt a re-evaluation of its historical imagery and a rewriting of its past. Through this critical lens, Asmara emerges not as a static relic of colonialism, ready for a nostalgic rediscovery, but as a living testament to the ongoing struggle for decolonization and reclamation of its complicated identity.
References
Denison, Edward, and Guang Yu Ren. “The Value of Others: Modern Heritage and Historiographic Inequity.” Architectural Review 26, no. 6 (2022): 578-599.
Denison, Edward, Guang Yu Ren, and Naigzy Gebremedhin. Asmara: Africa’s Secret Modernist City. London: Merrell, 2003.
Falser, Michael, ed. Cultural Heritage as Civilizing Mission: From Decay to Recovery. Heidelberg: Springer, 2015.
Fuller, Mia. “Italy's Colonial Futures: Colonial Inertia and Postcolonial Capital in Asmara.” California Italian Studies 2, no. 1 (2011): 1-17.
Fuller, Mia. Moderns Abroad: Architecture, Cities and Italian Imperialism. London – New York: Routledge, 2006.
Harvey, David. “Debates and Developments: The Right to the City.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 27, no. 4 (2003): 939-941.
Smith, Laurajane. Uses of Heritage. London: Routledge, 2006.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Asmara: a Modernist African City,” https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1550.
Waterton, Emma. “Heritage Tourism and its Representations.” In Heritage and Tourism: Place, Encounter, Engagement, edited by Russell Staiff, Robyn Bushell, and Steve Watson, 64-84. London – New York: Routledge, 2013.
Weldesenbet, Netsanet Gebremichael. “Ambivalent memories of imperial legacies: Asmara as ‘beautiful' and ‘segregationist' from Ethiopia.” Cultural Studies 34, no. 5 (2020): 730-746.
| Keywords | Asmara, UNESCO, Colonial Nostalgia, Critical Heritage, Decolonial Perspective |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
