Building_Capitals

Building Capitals: Untold Histories of Construction Workers in Brussels and Kinshasa (1958-1973)
This Youtube channel collects the interviews conducted by students of Architecture at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ghent University (Belgium) and the Université Kongo (Mbanza Ngungu, DRC). In the context of a series of courses, the students have interviewed construction workers that built landmark buildings in Brussels and Kinshasa during the second half of the 20th century, when both cities aspired to become the capital of their respective continents. The student work is part of a larger research project, made possible by a joint FWO-FNRS research grant (EOS project “Construction History, Above and Beyond. What History Can Do for Construction History” — EOS 40007559) and funding by the Brussels Centre for Urban Studies (BCUS).