The Monocle Minute

Ghana is embroiled in a controversy of biblical proportions. The National Cathedral and Bible Museum – commissioned by former president Nana Akufo-Addo and designed by Ghanaian-British starchitect David Adjaye – carried a staggering €385m price tag when it was announced in 2016. So far €55m of taxpayers’ money has been spent on the project. Yet three years after construction came to a grinding halt, the site in central Accra remains nothing more than a vast crater.

Ghana is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with rising levels of inflation, debt and unemployment. Adjaye has become a lightning rod for the debate about what happens when starchitects undertake grand commissions in the Global South – not least when these projects run up against cultural, social and economic difficulties on the ground.

Last week, Ghana’s president, John Mahama, announced plans to investigate the cathedral’s financing, pledging to unearth the alleged profligacy and corruption of his predecessor. Mahama condemned those who, in his words, “stole in the name of the Lord”. But while the cathedral symbolises an egregious misallocation of limited resources, abandoning the building altogether poses its own conundrum. The barely built structure has already dented public coffers – and now the president faces a careful balancing act. The fate of the project could ultimately have an influence on Ghana’s Christian majority, a crucial voter base.

The situation mirrors similar stories of ill-fated or poorly thought-through projects across the continent. Architects working in Africa are often too focused on the prestige – or lucrative fees – that such commissions command, instead of examining whether fragile economies can actually make their grand visions a reality. In 1990, Pope John Paul II consecrated the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, a vanity project of Côte d’Ivoire’s then-president Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Heralded as the world’s largest church, this €289m monstrosity was an opulent edifice built amid economic despair. More than 30 years later, its grandeur is a haunting testament to misplaced priorities; its pews are rarely filled and its relevance still widely questioned. Ghana’s National Cathedral, like the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, risks becoming a monument to hubris. The stakes are not only architectural but also moral – and they’re shaking the country’s foundations of governance and faith.

Mathias Agbo Jr runs a design consultancy in Abuja, Nigeria, and writes on design and architecture. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Wrapped in their floor-grazing coats, residents of the Danish capital were out in full force to support local designers at Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW), which ended on Friday (writes Grace Charlton). Baum und Pferdgarten and Rotate turned heads, while buyers from the US and Europe kept an eye out for retail-ready collections. Here are three takeaways.

Copenhagen’s commitment to sustainability remains at the fore
“The fashion industry cannot be isolated from global developments,” Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of CPHFW, tells The Monocle Minute. “While some organisations are cutting down on their sustainability efforts as a result of short-term pressures, we keep pushing.” Every brand that wants to show its collections at CPHFW must meet the fair’s strict standards. It’s a philosophy that evidently appealed to the British Fashion Council, which has announced that it will adopt CPHFW’s sustainability framework for this month’s London Fashion Week.

Minimalism gets complex
Danish brands are proving that minimalism can be a vehicle for bold ideas. Two Copenhagen-based brands to watch are MKDT Studio, makers of pleated monochromatic silhouettes with razor-sharp collars, and newcomer Bonnetje, whose tailored clothing features unexpected cut-out detailing. The black-trousers-and-white-T-shirt combo just got an upgrade.

Back to the 1980s
Alongside synth-led electronica, the music of INXS and Taylor Dayne were the soundtrack to the week. At the shows of Caro Editions and Gestuz, big shoulders, door-knocker gold earrings, voluminous hair and leggings set a decidedly 1980s tone. Fashion has finally dropped its Y2K obsession.

A Kanelbullar (cinnamon roll) followed by an anpan (red-bean bun), anyone? All Nippon Airways (Ana) launched a new route between Tokyo Haneda and Stockholm on Friday, marking the first time that the two cities have had a direct connection since Scandinavian Airlines ended its service in 1997. It’s also the first time that a Japanese carrier has flown the route. Thanks to a weak yen and the surging popularity of brand Japan, inbound tourism to the country is booming. Ana’s decision to launch this connection in midwinter suggests that the airline is very bullish.

The ceremony at the gate for the inaugural Stockholm departure stopped short of Abba karaoke but a DJ did blast Jamiroquai at 07.00 behind a sushi buffet. The connection is a vote of confidence in the demand for travel between Japan and Sweden at a time when Russian airspace closures are making flights longer and more expensive to operate. This is particularly significant as, unlike Chinese airlines that can fly over Russia, Ana’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners must take the long way around. “Stockholm is a crucial foothold, enhancing connectivity and fostering exchange not only within Sweden but also across the Nordic region,” Hiroyuki Miyagawa, Ana’s executive vice-president, told The Monocle Minute. Here’s hoping that the route proves a success.

While theatrics aren’t uncommon in sport, it’s rare for a professional athlete to stand centre stage at the theatre. In KS6: Small Forward, Belarusian basketball player and Olympian Katsiaryna Snytsina tells the story of her political awakening. The play is a response to the re-election of president Aleksandr Lukashenko in 2020 and the brutal suppression of protests.

Having premiered last year in New York, it has now arrived at London’s Barbican Centre, just as Lukashenko has secured yet another term in power. The Belarus Free Theatre group, which has been producing politically charged plays while remaining outlawed in its home country for 20 years, is behind the project. “It’s a powerful thing for a world-class athlete to move into theatre in order to help her country,” Natalia Kaliada, co-founder of Belarus Free Theatre, tells The Monocle Minute.

In Monocle’s February issue, we visit Spanish bookseller Casa del Libro, which prides itself on elevating the book-buying experience. Its CEO, Javier Arrévola, sets out how the chain is expanding across the country and taking on Amazon overseas by ensuring that his staff provides visitors with a novel experience.

We meet Diana Militski, the founder of Kinkally, a restaurant in London championing a modern approach to Georgian cuisine. Then: Michael Booth is at Europe’s biggest food-supplier trade fair in Lyon to get a preview of the industry this year. Plus: we head to Sweden to hear about chef Daniel Berlin’s Scandinavian comeback.