Architecture with a Polish soul under Kilimanjaro | Anna Rynkowska-Sachse | TEDxSANS

The speaker tells the story of Polish refugees who found shelter in Tanzania under Mount Kilimanjaro during World War II. It describes their life in the camp, where they created a substitute for Poland with its own institutions and infrastructure. After the war, some Poles returned to the country, and others stayed in Tanzania, founding the Polish Club. Currently, this place is being revitalized with the intention of creating a museum commemorating this history and a center for the local community. The project combines Polish identity with African traditions and the needs of its inhabitants. Anna Rynkowska-Sachse combines design with research, especially in the area of analyzing the needs of the local community and the cultural context. For 10 years he has been dealing with social architecture embedded in the local context, in particular the design of social centers and school facilities in Africa. Additionally, she completed postgraduate studies in ethnology at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Sub-Saharan Africa module at the University of Warsaw. She designs using the Design Thinking method and knowledge in the field of social animation. He is a member of the Polish Society of Polish Africanists. Since 2019, she has been a volunteer of the Pallottine Missionary Foundation Salvatti.pl and, as part of the cooperation, she designed, together with Jakub Sachse, based on field research: "School Team" oo. Pallottines in Kibeho, Rwanda and the "Revitalization of the Social Center" in Poli'singisi in Tanzania. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx