Speaking at the Triennale di Milano, which kicks off tomorrow in the Italian finance capital, Francis Kéré lamented the Western notion that his “unknown” home continent is a vast but homogeneous place when in reality, it is comprised of 54 countries and over 1,000 different language traditions. 

“Instead of seeing it as a young, dynamic continent, Africa is still seen as a place that needs help,” the 2022 Pritzker Prize winner told Quartz in a recent interview. “If you close your eyes to what matters to your neighbor, then you’ll never really know them.”

The Burkina Faso-born architect, who designed a 40-foot entrance tower and cafe seating area for the Triennale around traditional African gathering customs, said his goal at the exhibition is to introduce some nuance to that misconception via the inclusion of endemic materials and building techniques whose applications represent a massive amount of untapped potential.

“Throughout Africa, groups of people have found a way to live in harmony with nature. If you look at the carbon footprint of this huge continent, it’s producing less than 5% of the world’s total emissions,” he continued in the Quartz interview. “Perhaps we can contribute [ideas] for the rest of the world. The structure 'Yesterday’s Tomorrow' is about the importance of the past. Already we’re talking about 3D printing complete buildings, but if we build from knowledge and experience using the conventions we have, we have a chance to really serve humanity. If we don’t take this into consideration, we will fail.”