TwoCents | States, Societies, and the face of Lagosian Architecture: Part 2

"A ruler who governs with virtue is like the north star; he stays in his place, and all the constellations revolve around him." -Mencius (student of Confucius)In 202 BC (the year of the Ox), the Han Dynasty rose to power as Liu Bang became emperor Gaozu following the key battle of Gaixia. This marked the beginning of a golden age in China as it ended the warring states period and kickstarted many other local advancements in the fields of art, literacy, and trade, creating a lasting model for future dynasties. The Han dynasty followed the imperious Qin (pronounced Chin) Empire who led a harsh regime of government enshrining the values of Legalism - a system of government that emphasises rigid adherence to laws that prescribe punishment and rewards for specific behaviours. All activity in Qin China was directed towards furthering the Ruler’s power. The Han however; unified China under the ideals of Confucianism. Although Confucianist ideals did not promote democracy in the modern sense, they emphasised good leadership, the values of meritocracy and social order and harmony. In the first part of this essay, I laid out the general relationship between a functional centralised governing bureaucracy and a good quality of urban design and residential architecture. My argument is that Lagos State, Nigeria lacks a respectable standard of urban design and regulation; and that by extension, it has an ailing state of livable architecture; this is because a robust unifying ideology has not formed in the nation under any well-functioning centralised modern government. In this second part, I shed more light on the connection between these factors by first illustrating examples shown in dynastic China of the Qin and the Han. I contrast further with the context of Lagos by touching on how the indirect colonial rule and subsequent government have left much to be desired in terms of national identity formation and regulation of the urban environment. The Qin dynasty concentrated power in China following the warring states period; a timeframe marked by continuous struggles between non-unified feudal kingdoms. Emperor Qin Shi Huang merged these states through brutal conquest. Utilising the ideas of Statesman and reformer, Shang Yang, the legalist mode of government was used throughout the nation. From records in the Lüshi Chunqiu, an encyclopedic classic Chinese text, it is stated that Shang Yang believed rulers should be unconcerned with winning the people's hearts, but instead; with maintaining power. He advocated the strict use of law and punishment to control the citizenry. The reforms were concerned with increasing agricultural productivity within, and increasing defences and military might. Privileges in the government based on heredity were abolished and meritocratic appointments of the best minds were instituted via examinations. Here we see a strong central state power at work: Qin Shi Huang established the city of Xiangyang as the capital and standardised measurements, construction methods and standards for building across the region and made significant contributions towards physical defensive structures; notably the beginning of the Great Wall of China. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/Dinastía china Qin o Ch'in (221-206 AC) - Arre caballo!.jpg" alt=""><img src="/media/inline_insight_image/70gwa2bh.png" alt=""> Great Wall of China; source: arrecaballo.es As mentioned earlier, the ideological imposition of the central Chinese government during this period contributed to the development of robust ideals in the people; this in turn reflected in the architecture of the nation as a whole. Whereas the Qin were concerned primarily with defence and securing the newly assembled polity, the Han dynasty implemented a more holistic approach to state building as well as ideology; Under this dynasty, the leadership was legitimased by Confucian values that had more direct contributions to aesthetics and human relationship with the environment. Confucianism is a philosophy based on mutual respect and kindness toward others. It was founded before the birth of Confucius but was significantly developed by his contributions in his later life. As the country expanded during the golden age, designs featured more symmetry, distinct large roofing styles, and symbolic carvings and features that became emblematic of China. The support of Confucianism also led to more institutions being developed with marked intricacy and beauty. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/reconstruction of han dynasty weiyang palace in xi'an, china.jpg" alt=""> Weiyang Palace Reconstruction, China  Contrasting with the Context of Lagos, However; we find the first unifying government authority in Nigeria during the colonial period. In 1914 (the year of the rat) under British Colonial influence, Lagos was made the capital of Nigeria. Indirectly ruling in the region, the British imported cheap materials to service the construction of tropical-style houses in European quarters such as Yaba, Surulere, and Lagos Island - Houses featuring big roof overhangs, louvred windows, deep verandahs and features of British homes adapted for the climate. The colonial period coincided with the establishment of infrastructure and importation of many British institutions that facilitated the beginning of urbanisation in Nigeria, and Lagos more specifically. Although regulations were made they were not strictly followed throughout and mainly applied to areas of primarily European occupation. The British set modern standards for urbanisation where none had existed - imposing tried and tested methods in other colonies even in the novel context of newly formed Nigeria.Although indirect rule established a version of central authority, it was never a strong unifying force in the country; whatever ideals were imposed, did not come with much local input. As such, no strong national ideal permeating every facet of life could be observed as a result of colonialism. In the case of the Han dynasty, peasants already took to Confucian values before the rebellion that overthrew the Qin and established dignitaries. This bottom-up meets top-down merging of national values reflected in the strengthening of local institutions and sensibilities. As the British vacated Nigeria, the styles of architecture and institutions set up, having no local foothold from an ideological perspective, fell into dilapidation. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/Jaekel House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024).jpg" alt=""> Lagos Colonial Architecture; Toladeleke, trip advisorFollowing the British occupation; Nigeria experienced instability in the nature of its Government - moving from military to democratic rule in sometimes violent oscillations before the current stretch of democratic leadership. Less violent as it is, it has been marked by a steady decline in strength, with non-meritocratic appointments in its civil service, increased privatisation of otherwise public services and well-documented corruption. As the power of the national government has declined, so too has the state of the nation’s economy; citizens have been thrust into a low-trust society where survival and the acquisition of wealth for self-liberation have become the most common principles. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/1u7k6og9.png" alt=""> Lagos Afro-Brazilian Architecture; Gillian Godwin, CNNLagos owes the diversity of styles in architecture to other influences such as the influx of Afro-Brazilian methods following the colonial period and the cosmopolitan nature of its population among other factors. Diversity is not a mark of ugliness or poor architecture or urban design. Diversity on the scale of Lagos, however growing without firm regulation, and with no nationally articulated vision of aesthetic culture, is a recipe for the ailing state I have so far described. As the country becomes increasingly impoverished, average citizens are less keen on hiring formally educated construction professionals. Developers also bypass the design professionals or downplay their influence in a bid to further maximise profit - safe in the knowledge that regulations can be bypassed through corner-cutting or bribery. This has created a city where most of the architecture is essentially Ad Hoc and improvised. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/20240522_152839.jpg" alt=""> In conclusion: as established in the first part of this essay, the houses inhabited in Lagos - an extension of the general architecture and urban design, are lacking in quality and quantity (although this has not been a subject of discussion). I believe this is the case because no unifying national idealogy created by a functioning government has set the tone. I’ve attempted to show a brief contrast between the ancient Chinese government and Lagos, Nigeria. Where the Chinese empires of the Qin and Han established standards and institutions in multiple areas of daily life - employing legalism and Confucianism respectively and employing local context; Nigeria experienced no credible binding identity. Once the British colonial influence was removed, weakened institutions could not maintain regulation through the ensuing phases of government; as competence in the central authority declined in a shabbily unified nation no real national ideal formed and the urban landscape remained poorly or inconsistently regulated. I have tried to maintain a balance of due diligence on the topic and keeping the text accessible; I do however see some gaps in the essays that might be explored further in future. More academic research on the subject might be required, and more examples of cases where the government has been less than ideal; failing to set adequate design standards; and cases where the reverse has been or is the case. I hope I have made Lagos' predicament as it is in my eyes more visible to others. From the position of the everyday citizen, it might be the case that dedication to self-education on aesthetic sensibility would be of some help; Top-down regulation of the use of building professionals might yield some positives - particularly if trade unions are stronger in enforcement; and designers might need to get more involved in probing what more there is to design for beyond superficial reasons; more designs focused on fostering the sorts of values we would prefer to see in Nigeria would perhaps reverse engineer some ideological identity. Ultimately, Urban design and the architecture of happy homes (of good quality) are affected by a complex of issues only partially addressed in these essays. I have zeroed in on governmental failings because I see this as the root cause of many of these factors that play a part. The solution to that is beyond the scope of this two-part essay. All the same, collective action and education towards better governance on the part of the citizenry is always a good way to begin creating Solidarity and the shared ideals I've now repeated severally.

More insights from Joshua Omoijiade