Maputo Modern: The Changing Identities of an African City is the story of a place, the people who shaped it, and the forces of history that built a city and then froze it in time. Through previously unpublished photos, architectural drawings, and maps, this guidebook provides a never before seen view of the evolution of a country and its complex peoples through the city they left behind.

With Art Deco theaters, mid-century modern hotels, climate-sensitive schools, modernist housing blocks, and Rationalist civic buildings, Maputo, Mozambique is one of the most important collections of African modern architecture and is almost completely unknown outside the Portuguese-speaking world. 

Maputo Modern looks at the city’s establishment, early planning, colonial development, independence followed by civil war, and eventual stabilization. The city’s identity has changed through these many periods and historical ruptures, creating a dynamic and evolving urban condition. The book focuses on a few key architects who helped the city mature before independence, and asks what the future of the city could look like. 

Initial research was made possible by a grant from the Graham Foundation. Liz McEnaney and Alan G. Brake most recently presented their research at the 2017 Docomomo Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Photo credits: Iwan Baan for Maputo Modern.