Building with the Past
Archaeology, Heritage, and Urban Transformation
Ore Disu, Director MOWAA Institute
URBAN+/ HERITAGE TALK
11-1pm, Wednesday 19th February 2026
Liverpool School of Architecture,
25 Abercromby Square
Liverpool
Amid renewed efforts to diversify national economies and intensifying global debates in identity politics, African cities are increasingly mobilising heritage and culture as instruments of urban transformation. Initiatives such as Accra’s Decade of Return, Lagos’ Detty December, MOWAA’s emerging museum campus in Benin City, and Cotonou’s ambitious upcoming cultural quarter reflect a shift toward culture-led development as a strategy for place-making, economic growth, and global positioning. These projects operate at the intersection of state ambition, private capital, and cultural production, raising critical questions about governance, authorship, and urban equity.
This talk examines how such initiatives reshape urban space and infrastructure, asking how culture functions not only as content, but as a planning logic. It considers who finances these large-scale cultural interventions, how funding structures condition their spatial and social outcomes, and what determines their durability beyond moments of spectacle.
Drawing on the development of the Museum of West African Art, Ore Disu traces a preservation-led model rooted in pre-construction archaeology. The lecture reflects on collaborative processes spanning archaeological research, architectural design, infrastructure planning, and community engagement, and situates these within broader consultations on the regeneration of Benin City’s historic core and sub-region’s heritage policy.
For more information visit the AHUWA website, or you can contact AHUWA directly via email.
