This course proposes a critical, interdisciplinary approach to the architectural heritage of colonial origin in the African countries with Portuguese as an official language (PALOP). Drawing on historical and theoretical foundations, the course analyzes the processes of construction, use, and re-signification of colonial buildings, questioning conservation policies and the ethical challenges of heritage management in postcolonial contexts.

Objectives

• Analyze the legacy of colonial architectural heritage in Portuguese-speaking African territories.

• Understand the development of Portuguese colonial architecture in Africa and its political and symbolic framework.

• Discuss the meanings, uses, and controversies surrounding the preservation, reuse, or demolition of these buildings.

• Promote the exchange of experiences and strategies for postcolonial conservation and reinterpretation.

• Debate the ethical, social, and heritage-related dilemmas surrounding the conservation and reuse of these assets.

• Explore intervention strategies, heritage education, and public policies adapted to the African context.

Instructor
Soraia Santos Ferreira

Target Audience
Professionals and students in the fields of architecture, urban planning, history, museology, heritage, and cultural management.

Minimum number of participants: 12

Syllabus

1. Historical and Theoretical Framework

• Portuguese colonial architecture: styles, functions, and symbolism.

• The concept of heritage in colonial and postcolonial contexts.

• Built heritage as an expression of power and identity.

2. Mapping Colonial Heritage in the PALOP

• Identification and inventory of built heritage in Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

• Colonial cities and inherited urban landscapes.

• Conservation status and technical challenges.

3. Memory, Identity and Controversies

• Colonial heritage as legacy or trauma.

• Processes of “decolonizing space”: renaming, demolitions, appropriations.

• Community participation in redefining heritage value.

4. Conservation, Reuse and Reinterpretation

• Interventions in colonial heritage: restoration, conversion, and musealization.

• Adaptive reuse: from barracks to museums, from palaces to schools.

• Technical and ethical criteria for intervening in colonial heritage.

5. Public Policies, Cooperation and Legislation

• Legal and institutional frameworks in Portuguese-speaking African countries.

• International support programs (UNESCO, ICOMOS, CPLP).

• South–South cooperation and cooperation with European countries in heritage management.

6. Future Paths: Heritage for Development

• Built heritage as a tourism, educational and cultural resource.

• Social inclusion and sustainable development through heritage revaluation.

• Youth and new narratives about colonial heritage.

Duration
20 hours

Modality
Online (synchronous sessions)

Dates
February 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Registration
You may complete your registration through the form available here: https://forms.gle/1WvZLfFF9rqtzFtw6