Ekeomah Atuonwu
Architect Francis Kere Diebedo, a world-renowned architect known for his innovative and environmentally friendly designs, was honored as a hero in Burkina Faso over the weekend, on his first visit home since receiving the profession’s highest honor. AEM had reported the West African architect’s win in March, 2022.
As he drove to Gando in the dusty southeast corner of the poverty-stricken West African country, Kere, the first African and Black winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, brandished his gold medal to cheering roadside crowds.
Locals greeted him with hugs and music and dance. When Kere, 57, was a kid, Gando didn’t have a school. He was the first in his community to receive an education and was the son of the village chief. He left at a young age to attend school in the nearby town of Tenkodogo.
He returned to visit two schools he designed and that were built using local materials and labour, with an emphasis on combatting the region’s crippling heat.
The buildings’ wide, flat roofs are attached to narrower buildings below by a lattice of metal rods that resemble the habit of the acacia trees dotting the surrounding landscape. The generous shade and thick walls keep out the heat.
“I have a feeling of great gratitude and satisfaction from seeing that all the efforts that we have produced together, the work that we did together, is recognised and the people are proud of it and realise that we did a good job.”
Kere shares his time between Burkina Faso and Germany, where he studied and began his career.
The Gando Primary School was the first structure he designed. He later added teachers’ housing and a library, bringing the total number of students to around 700.
Kere went on to design schools, hospitals, and public spaces all over Africa, Europe, and the US.
The Pritzker Prize, also known as the Nobel Prize of Architecture, is given annually to visionaries such as I.M. Pei of China, Zaha Hadid of the United Kingdom, and Renzo Piano of Italy.
