🔅 Africa’s Urban Future: Crisis or Creative Rebirth?
And Botswana’s Bling Play, Congo’s Bold Gamble
Good morning from… Can you guess where in Africa this is? (Answer at the bottom!)
Africa’s Race to Reinvent Its Urban Landscape
By 2050, 600 million more people will crowd into Africa’s already jam-packed cities. If you think it’s hectic now, picture a future with even denser slums, groaning infrastructure, and a world of dusty highways. Yet ironically, this crisis might just spark a fresh wave of architecture—one that’s more about the dusty realities of everyday life than some lofty “global style.”
First, blame the empire-builders: Britain, France, Belgium and co. swooped into Africa, and in large parts built statuesque palaces and government buildings plucked from their homeland, and called it “civilization.” Then came the “Modernists” who, with the best intentions, hammered in Brutalist blocks made of unrelenting concrete. Trouble is, that stuff turned out pretty useless for sweaty heat and minimal budgets. So many of these showy monstrosities stand in ruin—like abandoned sets for a dystopian sci-fi flick.
Thing is, Africa had a centuries-old tradition of climate-friendly building: mud brick huts that breathe, fractal-based city layouts that keep traffic flowing and neighbors chatting. While colonial overlords dismissed it all as “backwards,” ironically, now, as climate woes mount, those old solutions (mud walls, deep verandas) are suddenly the star players, according to The Republic. Cheaper, cooler, more communal, less meltdown-y.
In places like Burkina Faso, Pritzker Prize–winning architect Diébédo Francis Kéré is weaving modern engineering with local materials, constructing schools that blend civic pride, cooler classrooms, and minimal carbon footprints. Elsewhere, folks like in bustling Makoko, Lagos, are literally building floating schools! It’s a mix of “we can’t rely on government to fix it” plus “hey, water’s rising, let’s adapt.”
Meanwhile, in some corners, you still see the giant glass-and-steel obsession. But that certainly can’t be the final answer. Many African capitals simply can’t pay for the A/C needed to cool those glass boxes.
In other words, the future belongs to flexible, locally-driven designs. Instead of letting star architects from afar treat Africa like a design theme park, new African architecture must come from the bottom up: ephemeral markets under highways, sandbag or shipping-container homes that locals can maintain themselves, communal spaces that handle real daily needs.
The takeaway? Africa can’t just rehash old colonial styles or repeat the missteps of modernism. 600 million new city-dwellers demand creativity, resourcefulness, and climate-savvy brilliance. The more we harness local genius—whether it’s fractal planning or retooling old mud-wall methods—the more we’ll see cities that are not just thrown together in a panic, but built to last in a distinctly African style. Who said crisis couldn’t spark great ideas?
Botswana on TikTok: Wooing Wealthy American Millennials
Botswana, world-renowned diamond pit stop, is trying to score big with America’s Gen Z and millennial set – specifically those who can fork over five figures for an engagement ring. The plan? Launch a bling love-fest across Instagram and TikTok, according to Bloomberg.
At a swanky New York dinner featuring Michelin-star cuisine and top-tier influencers, Botswana’s youthful mines minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, sold the pitch: genuine natural stones, ethically extracted, contrasted with the unstoppable wave of cheaper synthetic gems.
Diamond sales from Debswana (the De Beers–Botswana partnership) sank by almost 50% last year. Lab diamonds—costing less and not associated with any murky “blood diamond” tales—have been devouring market share.
So, a curated soiree was staged with The Clear Cut, a chic e-seller connecting with upwardly mobile twentysomethings who want a 2+ carat stunner. “Our typical clients spend $25,000 – $30,000,” said founder Olivia Landau, so in come the big-name fashion and lifestyle personalities. Dine them, show off ethically mined five-carat stunners, and hopefully watch them dazzle their fans with “Go Botswana!” on TikTok.
A Diamond (Re)Brand: It may sound glitzy, but for Botswana, the stakes are super high. As lab diamonds increasingly flood the market, Botswana’s entire national budget is on the line. If they pull it off, Botswana’s raw or polished gems could become the next trending phenomenon among wealthy American brides and grooms scrolling for the perfect ring.
#GoBotswanaDiamonds!
DRC: “Let’s Make a Deal” to the Trump Administration
Apparently, war-torn Congo has a bold new business model for the West Wing. According to a letter seen by The Wall Street Journal, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi has pitched the following: Dear Mr. President, if your U.S. army (or someone you know) could handle our M23 rebel problem in our eastern provinces, we’ll open up a load of minerals for American companies. All best, Felix.
Congo’s eastern region is flush with minerals—cobalt, coltan, lithium, you name it—each an essential ingredient in modern tech gear. Tshisekedi cites the stuff that keeps Tesla’s motors humming and Apple’s devices alive. If the White House is game, Congo will cut them in on crucial mining rights.
To spice things further, Tshisekedi is in hush-hush talks with Erik Prince, the ex-Navy-SEAL-turned-mercenary-mogul who founded Blackwater and who’s known for stepping into conflict zones… for a price. The Congolese want him to help them secure their mining, and the arrangement is in flux, but apparently big mines plus big mercenaries equals big potential, according to Tshisekedi.
Trump’s foreign policy is famously “America First,” with a side of “how many resources can we net?” So Congo’s angle—“rebels out, metals in”—is tailor-made for an administration that loves a deal. Tshisekedi claims the partnership would give the U.S. a huge edge, ensuring that Apple, Intel, Tesla, and others get a direct line to the stuff powering electric cars and iPhones.
Of course, none of this drama happens in a vacuum. M23, the powerful rebel group making advances in the region, is believed by the UN to have Rwanda’s backing, and that’s throwing extra spice into the pot. Kigali denies wrongdoing, but the UN says Rwandan troops were found in areas with suspicious amounts of Congolese minerals changing hands.
Why Should We Care?
On top of human rights concerns—child labor, rebel violence, corruption—there’s the question of whether the US would (or even could) intervene effectively in Congo. Or are we about to see more private-security theatrics courtesy of Erik Prince? And if the Trump-era interest in “securing resources for US firms” is the guiding principle, does that overshadow potential moral pitfalls?
For now, President Tshisekedi’s “Minerals for Might” pitch is up in the air. But it’s a story we should all stay tuned in for…essions on live TV. But the lawsuit highlights the fine print: a truth commission only works if the truths are, you know, acted upon. The families of apartheid’s victims say they’ve found only bureaucratic shrugging where they needed real follow-up. The ultimate outcome remains to be seen, but if the case wins, it may force the ANC – and the world – to reckon more honestly with the tagline “never again.”
Food for Thought
“It is easier to lose a friend than to fi nd one again.”
— Ethiopia Proverb
And the Answer is…
The photo is of the National Theatre in Ghana! You can also send in your own photos, alongside the location, and we’ll do our best to feature them.