Abstract:
At the root of this dissertation is the African girl child,
abundant in innate potential but lacking in affirmative
girl friendly spaces that are suited to her African
heritage. The study considers the design of an interface
that will empower the African girl child in a traditionally
patriarchal African culture. A theoretical review is
conducted on the current state of African feminism and
how it is realised within its African context being both
dynamic and relevant.
The discourse links the theoretical findings with the
chosen context, the Old Pretoria Fire Station, which
stands in contrast to the proposed progressive feminine
intervention. The intervention is defined as being a
Centre for the African girl child, incorporating activities
such as teaching life skills, facilitating workshops, which
centre on arts and culture while at the same time reestablishing
the building's relevance to its immediate
context by including functions such as an African hair
salon, fashion designer and tailor and a restaurant.
The inquiry into the physical expression of African
feminism into a building that represented a colonial
patriarchal society presents design challenges with
regards to respecting the existing heritage fabric while
introducing a new function. The architectural and
spatial resolution of how these two issues integrate with
one each other ultimately contribute to the
empowerment of the African girl child.
