This spaceship-like theater can be seen from space on Google Earth, zooming in on what was once Moçâmedes, Namibe, a town founded in 1840 during Portuguese colonial rule. The structure was abandoned soon after Angolan Independence in 1975. Little is known of why it was built or what events might have taken place here. Remnants include a concrete dome, ticket booths and its unfortunate current use as a trash heap.
Sources: Crasstalk, Urbanghosts
The Central Bank for West African States or BCEAO (in French) built the then-tallest building in Abijan, at 20 stories, to house its headquarters. Known as the Bamako Building, it is, along with many of Abijan’s buildings, a classic example of neo-Sudanic architecture with allusions to the great mosque at Djenné, but on a grander, gothic, futuristic scale. Some consider the many BCEAO towers scattered throughout the region to be eyesores and harbingers of doom, or at best, architectural failures.
Sources: Wikimapia, Wikipedia, FailedArchitecture, architectureofdoom
Also known as Independence Square, its bleachers seat 30,000, making it the second largest public square in the world after China’s Tiananmen. It contains the Black Star Gate and the Independence Arch. Selfies with and close-ups of this monument are strictly prohibited. The square was finished in 1961 to welcome England’s Queen Elizabeth II and today it is the site of the annual celebration of independence from England. The square’s name may be an allusion to the once mighty state shipping corporation, the Black Star Line, or to Marcus Garvey’s early 1900s quest for African Americans to return to their homeland.
Agostinho Neto served as Angola’s first president from 1975 to 1979 after independence. He is regarded as the country’s preeminent poet and liberator from colonialism. Neto approached U.S. President John F. Kennedy for aid and was turned down, forcing him to turn to Cuba. Thus began a long-lasting tug of war during the Cold War in which Angola was caught in the middle (1975 to 2002). Neto died in 1979 in Moscow and his body was embalmed. It is said to be housed in the mauseoleum. Entry is forbidden and it is heavily guarded. The building looks like a rocket about to launch into space.
Sources: Globetourism, wiki, britannica, angolamarket
The memorial reflects the surrounding Ouaga 2000 neighborhood, originally built to house the 1996 French Africa Summit. The area is characterized by many important institutional buildings as well as upscale hotels, hospitals, and infrastructure. The monument was funded by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Sources: mcclatchydc.com, wiki, japantimes
Once a market for the slave trade, a British base and a German settlement, the market is today a hub and commercial center of Dar es Salaam. Kariakoo serves as an anchor and magnet for hundreds of satellite merchants to market their goods and services and has a complex system of sales and distribution. The building was constructed in 1974 by the architect B.J. Amuli, with a roof that provides a system of funnels for rain catchment in underground tanks. The overhang provides shade for the crowds that gather here.
Sources: architecturaldevelopment, wiki
Designed by Jean Marie Legrand, this unique structure looms 348 feet (106 meters) above the city, by far the tallest office building in the country. Built with a loan from the Elf Aquitaine oil company, it is also known as the Elf Building. It is named after Mont Nabemba, the highest mountain in the country. Completed in 1986, it took three years to build and the tower was inaugurated by the president four years later. This shiny sci-fi-hair-roller-shaped skyscraper costs about $4.5 million U.S. in annual maintenance fees.
Sources: visitcapitalcity, facebook, wiki
At 54 stories high, the iconic Ponte City Apartments or Ponte Tower is the tallest residential building in Africa. Designed by Manfred Hermer and opened in 1975 during apartheid, the Ponte was destined for upper class white residents. Now it’s known by some as South Africa’s Tower of Trouble. In the 1990s the once-fashionable Hillbrow neighborhood where it stands became a haven of prostitution and drugs. The tower became the site of countless suicides. In 2007 it underwent some renovation and continues its struggle toward urban renewal. The iconic tower draws thousands of tourists and photographers.
Sources: skyscrapercity, mg.co.za, youtube
The Chinese government provided 80 percent of the cost with a no-interest loan for this $25.8-million convention center in what has become another symbol of the 31-year Sino-Beninese cooperation. Finished in 2003, it is 10,053 square meters and is used for conferences and trade shows.
Sources: People
Ranked the second best airport in this region of Africa, according to International Aviation Organization standards, the Kigali International Airport is also known as Kanombe International Airport. Although it can accommodate a 747 jumbo jet, authorities are looking to relocate the airport to enable additional runways. What will become of this retro futuristic wonder?
The city plan was laid out by Canadians and Americans while the parliament was Chinese designed. Built at a cost of $30 million, the Tanzanian National Assembly or Bunge (in Swahili), houses the most modern legislative chambers in all of Africa. It is considered one of the best designs in East Africa for government buildings and is lauded for reflecting the harmony of political life in Tanzania. East Africa’s most populous nation is ruled by one party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi. The building was completed in 2006. Free tours of the Bunge are available by appointment.
Sources: NewtownInstitute, ModernArchitecture
Africa’s second largest church building, it was designed by Italian architect Aldo Spirito and consecrated in 1980 by Pope John Paul II. It cost around $11.5 million to build. At 14,625 square feet (4,500 square meters) with a 3,500 capacity, it served as a refuge for 1800 Ivorians fleeing civil violence in 2010-2011. They remained holed up there for days, terrorized by the fighting and unreachable by aid agencies. The building is said to be the symbol of St. Paul and his long robes lengthened behind him as he overlooks the city.
Sources: BBC, Wiki, Squawpeaktravel
