AHUWA LAUNCH  13TH DECEMBER 2022

AHUWA LAUNCH  13^TH DECEMBER 2022

The Architectural History and Urbanism Research centre for Western Africa, AHUWA, was launched on Tuesday 13^th December at the School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool. The launch involved a presentation of the research centre by the co-directors Professors Iain Jackson and Ola Uduku, about the key research themes, aims and ambitions of the AHUWA research centre followed by a short networking session over refreshments during the event. In attendance were invited members of the Liverpool university faculty and departments who had interests or links to West African Architecture and Urbanism history research, members of the local Liverpool community with African links, and a number of Architecture staff and post-graduate students. We were also pleased to welcome a representative from the Andrew Walls Centre from Liverpool Hope University and a host of academics who logged in online from the UK, West Africa, the USA and farther afield.

The key themes which AHUWA will focus on are:

• Architectural and Urban History
• West African Coastal Heritage
• Sustainable and Healthy Cities   [SDGs 11 and
• Research outreach and collaboration via
  • Trans-national university collaborations
  • Writing workshops
  • Public outreach and engagement activities

Our aims and objectives are:

• To be a repository and hub to consult for links to researchers and research collections pertaining to West Africa in North West England
• To host and develop links with researchers in the North West of England and West Africa in order to promote future collaborative research links
• Ultimately and importantly  to strengthen research networks and institutions in West Africa through their collaboration with UK institutions from PG research and teaching  opportunities to the collaboration and co-production of major research consultancy, and other potential outputs.

We are working in association with several collaborators including:

• UCL and UCT (Modernist Heritage of Africa Project)
• ACRC (University of Manchester) – the African Cities Research Consortium
• DOCOMOMO International. (Shared Heritage Project)
• ASAUK –  Curating the proceedings and publication of the Online  ASAUK Biennial conference 2022
• UNILEVER – on the United Africa Company archive

We are in the process of undertaking the following:

• Setting up MoU’s and working relations with colleagues at the IADS University of Lagos and  IAAS University of Ghana, Legon.
• Production of the first AHUWA newsletter in March/April 2023
• Establishing links with the School of Architecture, Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone
• Undertaking scoping research in Freetown Sierra Leone
• Working towards developing collaborative research grants within the scope of AHUWA’s research thematic areas.
  

Best wishes for Christmas and 2023.