In the south of Burkina Faso, close to the border with Ghana, there is a small circular hamlet, just over a hectare in size, called Tiébélé . This is the home of the Kassena people, one of the oldest ethnic groups who settled in the territory in the 15th century.
Tiébélé is known for its extraordinary traditional hand-decorated architecture, typical of the Gourounsi. The architecture is designed to aid one’s defense, both from enemies and from the scorching heat. The houses are built with mud bricks resting on large stones; the walls are more than thirty centimetres thick and have no windows, except for one or two small openings to let in some light; the front doors are only two metres high, both to keep the interior cool and to make it difficult for enemies to enter.
When the construction of the house is finished, the woman paints the murals on the outside walls with white mud and chalk. The walls are then carefully covered with stones and finally the entire surface is coated with a natural paint, made by boiling the pods of the African carob tree.
The decorative motifs and symbols are geometric and contain symbolic meanings taken from everyday life or religion. The decorations are made in May, before the rainy season, to protect and improve the solidity of the house.
