-Uniting Africa, Its Diaspora, and African Americans Through Design and Sound.
By Nadia Addezio reporting from Venice, Italy and Sylvie Ngassa Qwasinwi Bello reporting from Baltimore, USA*
“For me, it’s a humanitarian effort in design to move everyone forward.” Professor Coleman A. Jordan, an esteemed architecture professor at Baltimore’s Morgan State University, is the visionary behind ReCall & Response—the striking pavilion currently on display in Venice’s Marinaressa Gardens, open to visitors until 23 November 2025. The installation is part of the Venice Architecture Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious international exhibitions.
This remarkable wooden installation, inspired by the traditional talking drum and djembe, is the result of a deeply collaborative process. While Jordan originated the concept and drafted the initial sketches, the pavilion’s design and construction were developed with the support of students from Morgan State, Tuskegee University, and Clemson University.
“Call and response means playing the drum and hearing a reply—but also evokes memory, history, and cultural artifacts,” explains Andrew Bui, a Morgan State graduate who now teaches as an adjunct professor.
For Morgan State, ReCall & Response represents a historic achievement: it marks the first time an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) has been featured at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
“It’s a moment of pride, because historically, access to these spaces has been limited,” says Amos Gambrah, originally from Ghana. Gambrah began his academic journey studying biology and chemistry at Morgan State before switching paths. “The desire to contribute to my homeland’s development made me realize architecture could be a powerful nation-building tool.”
Aiming to do just that—starting with an interactive, colorful talking drum. The pavilion is part of Time, Space, Existence, a major exhibition organized by the European Cultural Centre (ECC), an independent cultural institution with branches across Europe. “We first met Professor Coleman in 2021,” recalls Lucia Pedrana, Head of University Relations at ECC Italy. At the time, ECC was hosting a project by Ghanaian architect Joe Osae-Addo. “Thanks to him, we created a small pavilion in the Marinaressa Gardens to highlight the work and research of young architects and institutions from Africa and the African diaspora.”
That initiative was WE The 7: A Conversation with the African Diaspora, named after the seven HBCUs involved. Professor Jordan was invited to curate a small exhibition within that space, sharing the legacy of HBCUs in the United States. From that experience, ReCall & Response evolved—a sustainable structure built using local wood from Italian artisan studio R3B (Reuse, Recycle, Rebuild), and adorned with African textiles hand-sewn by the Talking Hands project.
Now standing tall in the Marinaressa Gardens and nestled along the Venetian lagoon, the pavilion serves multiple purposes. First and foremost, it fosters dialogue between African diasporas and African Americans. But it also champions environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
“The life cycle of the project includes communities, materials, and processes. We hope the pavilion will travel to other places—and that its materials will endure as long as possible,” says Professor Jordan, who is also a visiting professor at Harvard University. For him, community engagement is essential in both creation and preservation.
This philosophy is echoed by Professor Amma Asamoah of Tuskegee University, who co-led the pavilion’s design with her students. “There’s a disconnect between African American culture and African diasporas that needs to be addressed,” she says. “When we talk about repair and restoration, our goal is to preserve culture, to reconnect these communities, and to learn from each other architecturally—reclaiming resources lost through the transatlantic slave trade and colonization.”
Tuskegee alumnus Chanse Huff also contributed to the project. “At Tuskegee, I was involved in several design projects like this, but none of them resulted in a built structure. Seeing a real-world outcome, combined with the competitive design process, made me realize I could pursue something like this in my career,” says Huff, who now works at Robert Amsterdam Architects in New York.
Throughout the project, students emphasized the value of collaboration and the rich exchange of knowledge and ideas. For all of them, it was the chance to learn something new. “It was inspiring to work alongside so many designers and architects,” affirms Fernando Parada, a second-year master’s student at Morgan State University. “I came to understand the importance of a methodical process—progressing step by step, from A to D.”
Unsurprisingly, interaction is one of the pavilion’s core principles: a blend of architecture and sound that invites visitors not only to explore the structure, but to connect with its message—one of memory, unity, and cultural resonance. This is what we note observing visitors who feel fascinated by what they see. Pasha Vredenbregt, a landscape architect from the Netherlands, is wandering around with his girlfriend, Lucy Fittock, an intelligence analyst from the UK. They step into the pavilion, carefully explore its textured surfaces, and engage with its sound-producing elements. “It really invites you to engage with it,” claims Vredenbregt, who adds: “I think it’s always powerful to show different messages, backgrounds, thinking and cultures. Especially in exhibitions like this. I think it’s super cool that there’s something a bit different than the European culture.”
This is ReCall & Response: an extraordinary collaborative work that proves architecture can be a powerful vessel for cultural healing and collective imagination—guided by the rhythms of African ancestral sounds.
ReCall & Response remains open through 23 November 2025, and additional funding is still needed to expand scholarships supporting student travel, housing, and programming from September through the closing weeks of the exhibition. The Cameroon American Council (CAC)—serving as a community, cultural, communication, and policy partner—is working closely with Professor Coleman A. Jordan and Dean Abimbola Asojo to ensure HBCU students and African diaspora creatives gain transformative global experience. Donations to support these final months can be made through the Morgan State University Foundation: Division of International Affairs, Account Number 2800. Visit http://givetomorgan.org/give/, designate your gift amount, and select “MSU Foundation Endowment (Unrestricted)” as the fund. In the instructions section, specify “Venice Biennale.”
