Protopian African Futures: Demas Nwoko’s Tropical Architecture, Natural Synthesis—and Solarpunk

Abstract

Pioneering Nigerian artist, architect, and master builder Demas Nwoko’s post-independence practice embodies a synthesis of knowledge systems that transcend the ‘Western’ versus Indigenous knowledge dichotomy typically attached to decolonial readings of African creative and cultural output. This paper argues that Nwoko’s cultural philosophy and metadesign approach, by virtue of the evidence displayed in his tropical African architecture and cultural and intellectual output over seven decades, prefigured solarpunk ideals in very concrete ways, thereby providing a profound case for how the ‘Natural Synthesis’ approach, which his ‘New Culture’ ideology evolved with, finds relevance outside the African context from which it emerged. By referencing key projects and the foundational philosophy, design, and construction methods Nwoko adopted and evolved in responding to architectural needs for a climate-responsive and culturally sensitive approach to architectural problem-solving in the African tropical region in his country of birth—Nigeria, the paper draws parallels between the ecological and sustainability-based concerns that  drive the synergistic worldview behind his creative vision with the emerging solarpunk protopian ethos.