How did architecture become a language of freedom and modernity in a post-colonial world? MoMA’s Architects of Liberation: Modernism in Western Africa, on view in the Robert B. Menschel Galleries from July 5, 2026, to January 2, 2027, is the first large-scale exhibition to explore the relationship between modern architecture and the agendas of self-determination that shaped the region’s independence era.

Between 1957 and 1960, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo claimed independence. This sovereignty, coupled with rapid population growth, sparked massive infrastructure projects, from entirely new cities to restructured rural regions. 

New roads, airports, and train stations emerged alongside hotels, business districts, civic buildings, and entirely new skylines synonymous with economic prosperity and aiming to mirror global financial capitals. Concurrently, event architecture like festivals and trade fairs emerged as bold announcements to the rest of the world, designed to boost trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange…

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