Africa Hall.

In autumn 2024, Africa Hall, the first site of the UN in Africa and the birthplace of the Organisation for African Unity, reopened after an extensive renovation, in the presence of Ethiopia's government, UN representatives and foreign dignitaries. Commissioned in 1961 by Emperor Haile Selassie, and designed by the Italian architect Arturo Mezzèdimi, Africa Hall is a landmark modernist structure and a site of major political significance in modern African history. To commemorate its restoration a major, limited-edition publication was produced and edited by Arturo Mezzèdimi's grandson, Marcello Mezzèdimi. Alongside contributions from artists, architects, and historians based in Ethiopia, Europe and the United States, Dr Kate Cowcher was commissioned to write an essay about the building's famous stained-glass window, now commonly known as "The Total Liberation of Africa," designed and executed by the Ethiopian artist, Afewerk Tekle. Her essay, "Radiance and Vision: Afewerk Tekle's Stained Glass Triptych" appears in the book's section focused on the building's embedded artworks.

Africa Hall is published by Oro Editions on 10th Mar 2025.

For more photos of the remarkable, restored Africa Hall, see this article in Wallpaper, published to mark the building's reopening.