Pritzker Prize: ‘Happiest man’ Diebedo Francis Kere is the first African to win architecture’s most prestigious award
- Diebedo Francis Kere is renowned for building schools, health facilities, housing, civic buildings and public spaces across Africa
- Burkina Faso-born architect hailed for his pioneering designs that are ‘sustainable to the Earth and its inhabitants’
The Pritzker Prize, architecture’s most prestigious award, was awarded Tuesday to Burkina Faso-born architect Diebedo Francis Kere – the first African to win the honour in its more than 40-year history.
Kere, 56, was hailed for his “pioneering” designs that are “sustainable to the Earth and its inhabitants – in lands of extreme scarcity,” Tom Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation that sponsors the award, said in a statement.
Kere, a dual citizen of Burkina Faso and Germany, said he was the “happiest man on this planet” to become the 51st recipient of the illustrious prize since it was first awarded in 1979.
“I have a feeling of an overwhelming honour but also a sense of responsibility,” he said during an interview in his office in Berlin.
Kere is renowned for building schools, health facilities, housing, civic buildings and public spaces across Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Kenya, Mozambique, Togo and Sudan.
“He is equally architect and servant, improving upon the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region of the world that is at times forgotten,” said Pritzker.
