The Built Environment: West African Architecture:
Mande, Nabdam, Ganvie, Bamileke; Igbo; and Afro-Brazilian
To explore how the built environment shapes, expresses or reflects
the ecology, culture, and history of the various West African peoples
-To demonstrate the variety and types of architecture that exists in the sub-region
-To identify the diversity of materials used in the creation of
African architecture in general
Mande Architecture
Characteristics:
Mud architecture with buttresses and parapets called toron
Found throughout the Mande world—Mali, Ivory coast and Burkina Faso
Structures include tombs of religious leaders, and Mosques
Structures have minarets that towers above their roofs
Djenne Mosque, Djenne, Mali, adobe bricks,
Completed in 1907 after the original 14th century model
Village Mosque at Kawara, Ivory Coast, Mande Architecture
Tomb of Askia Mohammed, (1493-1529) Mali
Sankore Mosque at Timbuktu,
Mali,
Originally built in 1300 AD
Periodically revamped
Since the 14th century
Mosque at Dougouba, Mali
Walata, Nabdam and Hausa
Found in Mauritania; Ghana and Northern Nigeria
Architecture made from stone and covered with mud
Houses have two stories, flat roofs and interior courtyards
Exterior walls painted with red ocher,
doors and windows decorated with curvilinear patterns
Interior of rooms painted with white and red motifs
Motifs inspired by Arabic scripts and referred to as Arabesque
Mostly painted by Women
Courtyard, Mauritania
Interior of the home of the Mayor of Walata with
Arabesque decorations, Mauritania
Arabesque decorations, Mauritania
Façade of a Hausa compound decorated in low relief and paints,
Zaria, Nigeria
Relief decorations on mud walls,
Hausa Architecture,
Zaria, Nigeria
Frafra Compound, Painted Mud walls, Northern Ghana
Frafra painted house, pigments on mud walls, Ghana
Granary with prefabricated roof
Being raised into position
Ground plan of Frafra compound
Toguna—Men’s Meeting House--Mali
Dogon Toguna with carved pillars, Mali
Dogon Toguna, Carved wood, millet, stone and mud, Mali
Bamileke—Cameroon
Made by the Bamileke peoples in the Cameroon Grassland
Houses are constructed from palm reeds, bamboo, leaves and wood
Wood used in creating wooden structures that adorn the exterior of the building
Mat woven from vegetable fibers used to create movable partitions inside the house
Thatched roofs, no windows, low doors and raised thresholds
Interior courtyard of the
palace showing carved
pillars
Foumba,
Bamum, Cameroon
Framework of a square house ready for thatching, Cameroon
Ganvie, Republic of Benin
“The African Venice”
Ganvie Village, D.R. Benin
Stilt House,
Ganvie Village, D.R. Benin
Ganvie Villiage, D.R. Benin
Afro-Portuguese Impulses:
Baroque inspired architecture created by returnees
Who settled in Lagos Nigeria, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Characterized by elaborate façade with intricate decorative patterns
Later evolved into animated/figurative images
To communicate status
Central Mosque, Afro-Portuguese Baroque Architecture,
Joao Baptist Da Costa, 1908-1913, Lagos, Nigeria
Adjavon House, Afro-Portuguese Baroque Architecture, Wydah, D.R. Benin
Americo-Liberian Architecture
Created by returnees; missionaries and administrators
Characteristics:
Two-story structures
Constructed of wood, tin/zinc
Mostly on stilts with veranda surrounding the first two floors
Macon Hall House, Fortsville, Liberia, Late 19th century. Wood and Tin
Igbo Mbari Houses
Architecture created in response to urgent environmental
and social issues/concerns
A communal endeavor erected as shrines
in veneration of Ala, the Earth Goddess
Created with mud with representational images
to depict scenes of everyday lives
that might parody, critique, mirror, and or chronicle social events
Sculptures are panted with uli decorative patterns
Igbo Mbari House,
Ala flanked by her children,
Igboland, Nigeria
Painted mud, 20th century
Igbo Mbari House to Ala, the Earth Goddess, Adobe and wood, 20th century
Doors, Windows and House Posts
Door,
Igbo,
Wood,
Early 20th century
Door,
Olowe,
Wood,
Yoruba
1910-1914
Verandah Posts,
Olowe,
Wood,
Yoruba,
1910-1914