South Africa 2005: Utopia. Nowhere. Close.

New Legislature for the Northern Cape Provincial Government
Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa - Luis Ferreira da Silva Architects

The Northern Cape Province, with Kimberley as its capital city, was born out of the first democratic elections in 1994. Kimberley as a city clearly portrayed two things: a glittering, diamond mining history of wealth and exploitation, and a discriminatory past of apartheid planning. The new Legislature, beyond its immediate administrative functions, marks a new beginning in the city's history: as symbol of both remembrance and healing, and as a landscape that connects the city's people to their divided past and to a shared future. The site for the Legislature buildings was strategically positioned to merge the fabrics of the 'black' township of Galeshewe and the main 'white' town of Kimberley.

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