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The village of Tiébélé is home to the Kassena people, one of the oldest ethnic groups to settle in the border region of Burkina Faso since the 15th century. Tiébélé is known for its Gourounsi-style architecture with elaborately decorated walls. Burkina Faso is a poor rural area, and is considered one of the poorest in the world. Despite its material poverty, it is rich in cultural identity.
For the people here, decorating the walls of their houses is an indispensable part of their cultural life. Wall decoration is a collective task performed by women, an ancient practice dating back to around the 16th century AD.
The Kassena people built their houses entirely from readily available materials such as earth, wood, and straw. Mud mixed with straw and cow dung was, for the Kassena, an extremely effective plaster. Today, that building material has been replaced by bricks, stones, and solid foundations.
The mud houses in the village of Tiébélé were built to withstand harsh weather as well as enemies. With walls more than 30cm thick, these houses are designed without windows except for one or two small holes to let light through.
The front doors of the houses were typically only about 70cm high, designed to block direct sunlight and make it difficult for enemies to attack. The roofs were protected by wooden ladders, which could be easily retracted when needed. Beverages such as wine or beer were brewed and made at home.
After the house is built, the woman's task is to decorate the walls using colored mud or white chalk. The wall decorations usually depict scenes of daily life or religious symbols.
After the walls are decorated, the entire surface of the house is repainted with a natural lacquer made from boiled Nere beans combined with African acacia wood. The wall decoration must be completed before the rainy season to protect the walls from erosion by rainwater.
Here are some pictures of the houses in the village of Tiébélé:
An Tu(According toHandeye Magazine)
