Skip to main content

***JOHN RIDLEY*** CPDI Africa Internship 2020 SPOTLIGHT!

Image

Hello everyone,

My name is John Ridley, I was born in Panama City Florida and raised in Kennesaw Georgia. I graduated from Kennesaw State University where I majored in African and African Diaspora Studies. My hobbies are health and fitness, and freshwater - saltwater fishing is another favorite hobby of mine. It naturally connects me with the hunter-gatherer spirit in a way! A fun fact about me, 3 years ago I decided to pick a guitar and self learn. I’m enjoying the challenge that comes along with it when learning to play a new song.

I love architecture not just for its functional use, and creative use of materials, but for its cultural and symbolic meanings. As a researcher, the depth of scholarship and of course connection to identity, found in the subject matter grabbed my attention. I am thankful for my African architecture course at Kennesaw State University with Prof. Okwumabua, as it opened my eyes to so much of my cultural heritage as an African American that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. I’m truly grateful for that experience.

Gaining admission to the CPDI AFRICA Summer Internship thus broadened my Pan African worldview, learning and engaging with my fellow interns, who were architects and architecture students from around the world.  I learned that culture, traditions, spirituality, aesthetics where the actual building blocks for building communities. As an African American, it made me all too aware of what Diaspora designers would build if our communities could be reflective of our 'identity" as descendants of Africans in the Americas. 

I recommend the CPDI AFRICA internship for those who are looking to learn how to celebrate Black culture in the built environment. Shout out to Nmadili Okwumabua for giving me an opportunity when others did not.

Join us at our virtual Global Studio for African Centered Architecture at cpdiafrica.org, and engage with me this week as I spotlight my journey!

AFROFUTURISM is UBUNTU is SANKOFA.

#OurArchitectureMatters #BlackCulture #AfricanArchitecture #CPDIAfrica #Architecture #AfricaDefinesArchitecture

Labels:
By

Comments

  1. Nock Code22 June 2021 at 03:31

    Architectural Consultants in Dubai
    Architecture Firms in Dubai
    Top Architecture Firms in Dubai
    Interior Design Services in Dubai
    Interior Design Company in Dubai

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anam14 July 2021 at 12:40

    Keywords:

    Free Submission Sites List 2021
    Introduction to SEO
    On Page Optimization SEO Guide
    Keyword Research in SEO

    ReplyDelete
  3. asraeQcuru-El Monte23 May 2022 at 09:47

    asraeQcuru-El Monte Dale Smith link
    motonito

    ReplyDelete
  4. Waheed Al-Haifi14 August 2023 at 04:44

    Good morning Sir/Madam
    We offer loans to private and commercial entities with a very low annual interest rate of 3%, repayment from 1 to 25 years. We give loans from 5,000 to 500,000,000. This is to eliminate the growing history of Bad Credit, but also to bring a steady profit to both our company and our clients.

    Are you losing sleep at night worrying how to get a loan? Contact: Waheed Finance Firm Agency now via E-mail: info@waheedfinance.com

    We offer a loan with a low interest rate of 3% and, we offer
    *Personal Loans
    * Debt Consolidation Loans
    *Business Capital
    * Business Loans
    * Education Loans
    * Home Loans
    * Loans for Any Reason
    For more urgent information Get back to us immediately.

    info@waheedfinance.com
    Regards
    Waheed Finance Firm


    Do you need financing?
    Do you need a loan for business or personal needs?
    We give loans at 3% interest rate for personal, business and investment
    funding.
    We offer all types of loans to individuals or companies regardless of
    your present credit score. For further information, please do not
    hesitate to contact us today if you are seriously interested in our
    offer.
    info@waheedfinance.com
    Regards
    Waheed Finance Firm

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Disclaimer: Your opinions expressed in this comment section are of yours alone and not of CPDI Africa.

Popular posts from this blog

Mai Deribe's Palace - A hidden gem in Borno state, Nigeria

By
Little is known of the hidden gem in North-eastern Nigeria that attracted kings, princes, prime ministers and heads of state back in its heyday. While the media talks about insurgency and terrorism in North-eastern Nigeria and discourages people from visiting for security reasons, let's shine a light on the more appealing aspects of the region by looking at its not-so widely portrayed architecture.  Late Alhaji Mai Deribe's palace in Maiduguri city was constructed in the early 1980s and is said to have been built over a period of 10 years with parts of it constructed with liquid gold. During its prime, it was known as the most expensive dwelling in West Africa. It is expansive and a sight to behold with four apartments for his three wives and his mother. While the building's architectural influences are clear to see, the architect behind the palace remains unknown. Its simple and geometrically etched courtyards, fenestrations, exterior wall embellishments, as well as its ri...
4 comments
Read more

25 ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL YORÙBÁ ARCHITECTURE

By
The architecture of the ancient Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria was a communal endeavor and the house was a statement of ideological, economic and social position in the larger urban context. Below is a list of 25 elements of traditional Yoruba architecture, as I cannot detail all about the Yoruba people in this documentation due to how lengthy I would need to write, the brief bio of the Yoruba people samples the Ijebu kingdom. Read also:           -    The Most Interesting Facts I Learnt Researching Yoruba Architecture         -    5 Proposed Standard Elements of Yoruba architecture: Inspiring a Modern Language!         -    About the Author
11 comments
Read more

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HAITIAN ARCHITECTURE

By
Traditional Haitian architecture is inspired by Taino, Yoruba, and Europen architecture from the Bohios to the shotgun.   A major contribution to the life of shared community spaces is made by the Galri (porch) arguably the actual “living room” of Haitian buildings. The interior of the house usually consists of two rooms and is used as a place to rest and to store possessions. The kitchen and bathroom are sometimes separated from the rest of the house. In Kreyol, the shared yard or courtyard is called Lakou. Traditionally this includes the sharing of material items, chores, food, space, and childcare. The Jaden (Garden) is essential for all Haitian houses. The Jaden produces fruits and vegetables for the household. Colors and ornaments are used repeatedly throughout traditional Haitian homes. Most traditional Haitian architecture is a single-story, two-room rectangular house. The porches bring private life into an in-between space: semi-outside, semi-inside....
1 comment
Read more

Elements of Traditional Hausa Architecture

By
Emir's Palace Kano. Image:  ⓒ Hauwa Mahmoud Hausa architecture, as dictated by culture, is traditionally designed to be inward-looking in order to maximize privacy. Residential architecture is characterized by high walls with openings few and small, large courtyards, and entrance porches meant to welcome but keep out strange male visitors from the inner private quarters. These features usually have the double function of ensuring privacy, which is an important consideration in Hausa architecture. They also aid temperature regulation which is vital in the hot and arid regions of the West African Sahel where the Hausas are predominantly located. Plan and layout of Emir's Palace, Kano    Dmochowski 1990 The layout of a traditional  Hausa residence rarely takes a defined shape. This flexibility allows for expansion as needed as most households tend to be polygamous. However, there are certain features that are consistent in any layout no matter how big...
2 comments
Read more

25 ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL XHOSA (NGUNI) ARCHITECTURE. SOUTH AFRICA

By
Image:tony gum (https://www.instagram.com/tony_gum/) The  Xhosa,  also often called the “Red Blanket People”,   are of Nguni stock, like the Zulu. The name  Xhosa  is a generalised term for a diversity of proud clans, the  Pondo ,  Bomvana , Thembu and the  Xhosa  tribe itself. Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of the  Xhosa,  Tembu and  Bomvana  (“the red ones”). There are approximately 8 million Xhosa people in South Africa, and the Xhosa language is the countries second most-populous language in the country, after Zulu. 
1 comment
Read more

25 ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL IGBO ARCHITECTURE

By
The Igbo people of Southern of Nigeria are more than 4000 years. Their architecture speak volumes as it cuts through all the expects of their very existence: Spirituality and Philosophy, Materials and Sustainability , Culture and lifestyle, Aesthetics and Form, Process and Cost. All these were always achieved to portray the very fabrics of the society the building or its element found itself.  Pertinent also to note is the involvement of every tier of the society in building its architecture: Men, Women, Children. Why Igbo architecture was great was the level of green and sustainability in their Architecture. The 25 ELEMENTS show how organized their societies were through Architecture. 
1 comment
Read more

The Most Interesting Fact I Learnt Researching YORUBA Architecture

By
The architecture of the ancient Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria was a communal endeavor and the house was a statement of individuals social status and position.... A quick slide. The courtyard design is the root architecture of the Yoruba people, inspired by a culture of honoring family unity. The open spaces or courtyards are designed to be much larger so as to encourage communication between family members, it serves as the point of social contact, cooking and craft making, family meetings, political gatherings, social gatherings like ceremonies and wedding, food processing, worshipping and also used as a court to settle disputes. In the courtyard was where the ancient Yoruba people lived most of their daily lives. There are several other interesting facts about Yoruba architecture, the few mentioned where my most interest. I hope you find them interesting. Feel free to mention those you find int...
6 comments
Read more

CPDI Africa: Pedagogy of Afrocentric Architecture FILM

By
 Documentary film on the 10th anniversary. CPDI AFRICA: PEDAGOGY OF AFROCENTRIC ARCHITECTURE. This documentary film chronicles the rise of the Community Planning and Design Initiative Africa, CPDI Africa, in its journey to establishing contemporary African design languages in the lexicon of global architecture practice. Narrated by Nmadili Okwumabua, creative director and founder of CPDI Africa, the film celebrates the launch and success of the bi-annual Afrocentric design competitions and the curated international Art of African Architecture exhibitions. Further showcasing of the premier academy, CPDI Africa Global Studio for African-Centered Architecture is highlighted, concluding with the Center for Afrocentric Design Advancement research hub opening at the University of Science and Technology University in Abuja Nigeria. The film highlights the theoretical frameworks and built projects of architects Demas Nwoko and David Hughes, who inspired Okwumabuas’ pedagogy on the five ele...
Post a Comment
Read more

NEW COURSES: Global Studio for African Centered Architecture

By
  The CPDI Africa Global Studio for African Centered Architecture: an Academic Platform for Teaching a New Pedagogy in African Architecture. The CPDI Africa Global Studio for African Centered Architecture provides architects and designers an African centered academic platform for learning technical solutions for problem solving in their communities, while preserving culture and heritage through design.  The global studio is organized by CPDI Africa - the Community Planning and Design Initiative, Africa. Our Global Studio Faculty are leading professors and architects, renowned for their pedagogy in teaching African centered architecture.  Tenured at distinguished universities around the globe, our professors understand architecture is not separate from the lexicon of creative arts, but an integral part of the full human experience. CPDI Africa faculty is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and represent a diversity of world cultures, languages and heritage. The CPDI Afr...
2 comments
Read more