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INVESTIGATING ARCHITECTURE'S ROLE IN PRESERVING SOUTH AFRICAN BIRTH RITUALS

Tshwane University of Technology

Letlhogonolo Sesana

This project delves into the intersection of selfhood, spirituality, and space in African contexts, enriching architectural discourse by exploring the role of architecture in preserving birth rituals amid cultural erosion in South Africa. It emphasizes ritual, liminality, scale, site, materiality, and user experience, drawing from African philosophies of identity and scale. The study proposes architectural interventions rooted in communalism and metaphysical continuity, advocating for the integration of cultural values into design to foster identity preservation. Additionally, it recognizes architecture as a medium through which rituals, representing metaphysical journeys across time, materialize. This understanding underscores architecture's capacity to articulate, preserve, and empower individual and communal identities. Through this holistic lens, architecture emerges as a transformative force, bridging past, present, and future narratives while embodying the essence of cultural expression and continuity.

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