Africa is a continent full of rich heritage and culture, and one of the best preserved traditional cultures can be found in Mali’s Dogon Country, the home of the Dogon ethnic group. In Dogon Country the cliff of Bandiagara hides villages full of rich traditions, not least in vernacular architecture. Thanks to its cultural significance and natural beauty, the cliff of Bandiagara has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bus as I already saw in Mali while visiting the old town of Djenné, UNESCO World Heritage status can also be a burden on the local people who can feel that they are being forced to live in a museum.
One non-profit organization that’s working with improving the quality of life in Dogon Country while preserving its cultural heritage is Partners Pays Dogon. Working together with the LEVS Architecten and local communities, Partners Pays Dogon has built several school in Dogon Country and also done restoration and water management projects in the villages. These projects are keeping the local building knowledge alive, but they have also introduced new ways of using local materials, helping transform the vernacular architecture of Dogon Country into the 21st century.
Stone and earth architecture of Dogon Country
When the Dogon people first arrived to the cliff of Bandiagara in the 15th century, they found the Tellem people already living in the area. The Tellem built their houses on the face of the cliff around natural caves. The cliff provided protection from enemies and the weather, and living on the cliff freed the land of the plains for agriculture. The Dogon also learned to build in this way and the protection of the cliff is one reason why the Dogon have been able to preserve their culture throughout the centuries. The Dogon also build houses and villages on the plateau on top and the plains below, adapting the architecture accordingly.
Earth buildings are common in Dogon Country, but the main construction material in Dogon Country is stone, especially on the plateau. Building with stones is more expensive than building with earth, but clay is hard to find in the rocky landscape and stone houses last longer. A dry stone structure is built first and then plastered with earth from the inside in order to seal the gaps. Sometimes the walls are also plastered from the outside in order to protect the structure from rain and it is more common to plaster the top part of the walls. The roofs are flat and built from wood that is covered with earth and a plastic sheet and these days sometimes with cement.
Dogon villages are also dotted with small rectangular granaries. Keeping grains dry is the main function of the granary and this is reflected in the design. The walls and roofs of the granaries are shaped by hand with a very thin layer of earth that allows the structure to breath. The roofs are then covered with straw in order to protect the granary from rain. The interior has have several compartments for storing different grains and there are small windows for access.
The building traditions of the Dogon are the basis for Dogon culture and history, and the Dogon people want to preserve this knowledge. Partners Pays Dogon has worked with restoration projects in several Dogon villages where they have restored granaries and houses, providing the necessary financial support. Community participation in these projects is crucial and helps enhance the identity of the Dogon. These restoration projects have also been a platform for transferring the traditional building knowledge on to the next generation.
Development of traditional techniques through school building
Vernacular architecture is a rich source of knowledge that can be used as a base for improving building techniques into the modern age in a sustainable way. Partners Pays Dogon and LEVS Architecten have done this by building several schools in Dogon Country that use local materials such as earth and stones. Although these materials are used in different ways than in traditional buildings, the materials still come from the site and the resulting buildings blend in with the landscape, just like the traditional villages. This is in sharp contrast to typical concrete block schools in Mali that are not only uncomfortable and unsustainable but also lack respect for the local building traditions.
One of these projects is the Practical Training College in the village of Sangha. The college trains masons, farmers, beekeepers, electricians and water pump installers, responding to the needs of the region and giving the local youths a chance to continue their education after basic education. The construction of the college started in 2014 and the campus consists of several buildings, including classrooms, workshops, offices and housing for teachers.
The main construction technique at Sangha Practical Training College is hydraulically compressed earth blocks, or HCEBs. These HCEBs are made from locally sourced earth and compressed on-site with a hydraulic machine. The HCEBs used do contain 5% cement, but other binders such as lime or crushed shells are also being experimented with. The resulting blocks are strong enough to withstand the rains of the rainy season much better than traditional adobe bricks. Stone plinths make the buildings more resistant to rain and reflects the local stone building traditions. Vaulted HCEB roofs on the other hand reduce the need for wood while creating a pleasant indoor comfort similar to the earth roofs of the traditional houses.
Community participation in communal buildings is a Dogon tradition and it has also played an important role in the school building projects of Partners Pays Dogon. The masonry students of Sangha Practical Training College are also taking part in the construction of the school in order to fulfill internship requirements. Local involvement in all stages of the work ensure that the locals feel ownership of the project and are committed to sustaining it. It also means that the locals have themselves contributed to the development of their own local techniques into the modern age. The result is a group of buildings that the locals can understand and identify with.
