Arch 22
Pierre Goudiaby Atepa + Amadou Samba · Banjul, Gambia · 1996
Arch 22 forms a monumental gateway into central Banjul and commemorates the 1994 military coup that brought Yahya Jammeh to power. A broad elevated block spans the roadway on tall supports, with internal stairs and upper observation spaces turning the arch into an occupiable civic monument rather than a simple portal. Its scale is unusually large relative to Banjul’s low urban fabric, giving it immediate visual dominance. Completed in 1996, the structure is a significant example of state symbolism expressed through monumental post-independence architecture.