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Housing has changed in Sub-Saharan Africa since the Europeans arrived. Africans no longer live in traditional homes. This historical transition from "hut to house," from traditional to Western style, reflects slavery, colonialism and other social influences.
This book focuses on Cameroon, known as "Africa in Miniature" because of its geographical and cultural representation of the continent at large. Architectural styles, materials and construction techniques are discussed within a larger context, examining how lifestyle changes and architectural trends influence each other. This work is a rich examination of the challenges and opportunities for a new generation of African architects to integrate the lessons of the past and create a future more responsive to the region's needs.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Foreword (Jack Travis)
Preface (Epée Ellong)
Introduction
1.¿Hut of Congo, Hut of Cameroon
Sudanian-Sahelian Historical Band
Guinean Historical Band
Equatorial-Southern Historical Band
Eastern Historical Band
Architectural Links
2.¿Traditional Dwellings of Cameroon
Thatch Architecture
Straw Architecture
Architecture of Raffia Braids
3.¿Colonial Dwellings
The Encounter of the "Hut" and the Modern "Villa"
The Colonial House
From "Hut" to "Villa"
4.¿Directions for an Architecture
Transformations from Hut to Modern Home
The Architect and the "Villa"
Materials for an Architecture
A Hut for an Architecture
5.¿Death and the Dwelling
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Epee Ellong teaches African Architecture at the Ecole Superieure Speciale d'Architecture du Cameroun in Yaounde, Cameroon. In 1988, he was published in Presence Africaine on the use of urban space in African funeral ceremonies. While working in the U.S. as an architect, he spoke regularly at universities and at the Museum for African Art.Diane Chehab is an American project manager and former architectural designer. She lived in Cameroon from 1981 to 1993, and between 2015 and 2016. She writes about Africa on her blog, Away From Africa.
Summary
Descriptions of architectural styles, layouts, materials, and construction techniques are woven into this discussion of the larger historical and cultural context, examining how lifestyle changes and architectural trends influence one another. Readers will come away with a rich understanding of the challenges and opportunities for a new generation of African architects.
