THE AFRICAN VILLAGE WHERE EVERY SINGLE JUST ABOUT EVERY HOUSE IS A FUNCTION DO THE JOB OF ART

In the southwest of Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in western world Africa, nearby the border with Ghana lies a small, circular village of about 1. 2 hectares, called Tiebele. This kind of is home of the Kassena people, one of the oldest ethnic organizations that had settled in the territory of Burkina Faso in the fifteenth century. Tiebele is known for their amazing traditional Gourounsi structure buildings and elaborately decorated wall surfaces with their homes.

Burkina Faso is a poor country, even by Western world African standards, and perhaps maybe the poorest in the world. But are culturally wealthy, and decorating the wall space surfaces of their buildings is a crucial part of their cultural legacy in this area of the country. Wall decorating is always a community task job done by the women.

       

                                                                             

The Kassena people build their houses completely of local materials: earth, wood and straw. Soil mixed with straw and cow muck is moistened to a state of perfect plasticity, to form almost straight top to bottom surfaces. Today this approach is replaced by using soil brick molding walls with foundations resting on large stone. Tiebele's houses are made with defense in brain, whether that be against the climate or potential enemies. Walls are over a foot thick and the homes are made without windows except for a little opening or two to let sufficient light in to see. Front doorways are only about two feet tall, which maintains the sunlight out and makes enemies challenging to strike. Rooftops are protected with solid wood ladders that are easily retracted and the neighborhood beverage (dolo) is brewed at home.

The most amazing feature, however, is the intricate ornamentation that addresses nearly every square inch of the dwellings, painted with colored mud and chalk that tell an significant story of the historical tribe's culture. the explications can illustrate just about anything from objects used in normal daily life, to religion and morals, to decorative patterns that distinguish one house from the other. the art work can now be embossed with stones and etchings that spotlight the designs and give a truly unique personality. the material, along with small openings usually located closer to the surface assist in comfortable room temperatures.