British Colonial Era‘s Religious Built Heritage in Yorubaland, Nigeria: Key Conservation Problematics and the State of Know-How

Abstract

Colonial-era buildings’ conservation is now viewed in a more positive light as part of the urban fabric, however the conservation state of colonial-era built heritage has received scant research attention. There are major challenges especially for the preservation of religious buildings erected in the former European colonial territories in the non- Western world. This paper is the outcome of ongoing fieldwork-based research, which aims to identify and locate the mosque and church structures built during the British colonial era in Yorubaland (South Western Nigeria) and investigates their conservation state. This research adopts a mixed methods approach, employing physical observations and semi- structured interviews with heritage practitioners. The analysis of the fieldwork data initiates a discussion on the challenges and threats that result from the spatial requirements of a growing number of congregations which have lead to physical interventions on the original fabric, ranging from minor to major modifications and demolitions. The deficiencies in institutional conservation know-how in addressing the emerging spatial requirements in theoretically and technically appropriate ways are revealed.

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References

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