Postcolonial manifestations of African spatiality in Europe: the invisible African churches of Ghent

In Ghent the arrival of African migrants has resulted in the rise of Afro-Christian churches that are said to deploy a ‘reverse mission’ to Europe. Through processes of occupation and appropriation Africans have transformed existing non-religious buildings into places of worship. The result are ‘hybrid’ architectural forms, deeply informed by the transnational lives of most African migrants. Because African architectural forms in the European city are the fruit of (unfulfilled) dreams, nostalgia, identity-building and transnational connections, their study may help to look beyond a handful stereotypes of how postcolonial subjects from Africa contribute to the shaping of cities outside Africa.In Ghent the arrival of African migrants has resulted in the rise of Afro-Christian churches that are said to deploy a ‘reverse mission’ to Europe. Through processes of occupation and appropriation Africans have transformed existing non-religious buildings into places of worship. The result are ‘hybrid’ architectural forms, deeply informed by the transnational lives of most African migrants. Because African architectural forms in the European city are the fruit of (unfulfilled) dreams, nostalgia, identity-building and transnational connections, their study may help to look beyond a handful stereotypes of how postcolonial subjects from Africa contribute to the shaping of cities outside Africa.C