MALI

MALI has been the mekka for architects and artists for ages. ever building, cloth, tree and even stone resembles a piece of art - all created spontaneously without schools of art or promoting agents. PAR institute in darmstadt, with a small group of architecture students, embarked on a 3-week study tour which provided the chance of condensed understanding and inspiration more intense and diverse one would normally attain at home in not less than an entire year. 

almost as a routine, the tour started with a joint workshop with the local university of architecture - the ECOLE NACIONALE D'INGENIEURS in this case, and with a visit to the local office of one or several german foreign aid agencies.  the workshop dealt with necessary sanitary infrastructure improvements for a recently built semi-formal residences: not illegally built, but nevertheless lacking individual water and sanitary services.

BAMAKO is supposed to be the capital city, but resembles more like a secondary city elsewhere in the world. for students of urbanism, there much more exiting destinations - but for native citizens it is the only destination to obtain some quality education and start maybe an international career. In the world of music, this is the place were new rhythms evolve, and maybe merge with the unique tradition the country can offer.
for european students, the biggest attractions were waiting in the hinterlands - the bigger cities SEGOU, DJENNÉ and MOPTI.  Of course, the real desert locations like TIMBUKTU or the even more remote locations of the famous desert festival sites were already out of reach because of security concerns in 2007.

Nevertheless, the most fascinating villages belonging to the DOGON CULTURE could still be visited but implied an effort that very few foreigners accepted. we were extremely lucky to have ventured this tour which is not advisable at all nowadays. for this reason, this excursion documentation turns out rather detailed - since much of the monument and culture has been extinguished by now, and we feel it a certain responsibility to document past of this vanishing culture.

The visit to mali started with a joint workshop with german and mali students in bamako. threfore, the report on the trip also starts with the workshop.

          MALI-GERMAN STUDENT WORKSHOP

DJICORONI REFLECTION OF A REALITY

Djicoroni is one of the 8 neighbourhoods in Commune IV, about 6 kilometres west of capital city Bamako. This neighbourhood has been chosen because of its proximity to Bamako and because it is representative of a public health problem facing the country.
Participating were final year students of the École Nationale d'Ingénieurs - Abderhamane Baba Touré (ENI-ABT), which is a prestigious public university created in 1939, and which where the majority of the country's engineers are educates. The German group were all architecture students of the Technical University of Darmstadt. The workshop lasted for 4 days and included cultural evenings and one day for the field visit.

The field visit 
On March 1, 2007, we were taken to Djicoroni in a bus provided by the university, and were dropped next to the river in which a group of women were busy washing their clothes and various kitchen utensils on the bank, right next to a garbage dump.   The women told us that a normal bucket of water [from a standpipe] costs 10 CFA francs (0.015 euro), but for drinking  water - which they called "la bonne eau" and of which a big bucket cost 25 CFA francs (0.036 euro). Initially, the water distribution was managed by the state, but later it was privatized and handed over to individuals who decided about the location of their stalls and the distribution schedule.

According to the interviewed head of the village pharmacy, customers consulted - by order of urgency - mostly for malaria treatment, then cough and third, gastrointestinal problems.  A fruit seller who had her stand at the crossroads of Route No. 5, confirmed that there were many accidents in that area.

After dividing the students into 4 mixed nationality groups, each group, under the guidance of a local student, decided on an observation zone for the group. The German students were also asked to summarize five positive and five negative aspects that they observed on their respective route.
The groups decided on the following observation targets:
Water treatment station, responsible Fernand Panou 
Woyowayanko river bank, responsable: Saydou Mamadou Dembele
Eastern aveue [Via del Oeste], responsable: Agbahey
Market sector, Djenekabougou, responsible: Jonas Kpochan (current technical director of Globex Construction in Ouagadougou)[s2] 

 
The evaluation
The next day, meeting at the Engineering School in Bamako, the different groups presented their observations and proposed ideas on possible improvements.
 
GROUP 1
OBSERVATIONS: mostly improved bamboo housing, a community health centre, 2 private schools, 1 mosque, 2 sports grounds, 1 water pumping station and a temporary market, shops along the electrified railway route, lack of public lighting elsewhere.
CRITICAL ASPECTS:  The water pumping station was only 200 meters from the drains. Since the street layout had changed in some areas being built up in the meantime, wate water stagnated in certain areas and caused the spread of mosquitoes. Further, an accumulation of garbage was noted, trees are missing in in the streets and consequently, people are exposed to direct sun exposure.
PROPOSALS: repair of the canals, planting of trees, drainage of rainwater, creation of a program of private latrines, construction of sanitary blocks, installation of "la bonne eau" fountains and electricity in the sports areas – an important place of socialization of the population. The group also pointed out the need to involve the population in the cadastral and financial decisions.
 
GROUP 2
ONSERVATIONS: Mostly one storey houses, 3 types of roads, few trees in the big streets, open sewage and waste water channels causing bad smell, the houses lack septic tanks – therefore waste and sewage are directly discharged into the drains; a market and an AIDS prevention institution are under construction.
CRITICAL ASPECTS: The location of a military camp close-by, main roads present dangerous crossings, problematic evacuation of sewage and rain water and insufficient purification of sewage, lack of social infrastructure, lack of space for young people (especially sport activities), resident population are affected by unemployment and poverty.
POSITIVE QUALITIES: social peace, social control, healthy social mix (rich and poor live on the same street), good social infrastructure: health centre, nursery school. The proximity of the river offers potentials for fishing and irrigation for urban agriculture
PROPOSALS: Create an internal route, control the danger of the great canal, optimize the garbage disposal system, extend a drinking water network, install a sewage treatment center, create a center for social activities, agree on loans to women for job creation (micro-finance), improve information, develop fishing, normalize the streets, the small ones should be 2.50 m and the big ones 4m, create playgrounds for young people, increase social potential by communicating two neighbouring houses by perpendicular streets to the existing avenues.
Establishing a biological wastewater treatment plant; an Information center to promote social conscience i.e. through distribution of information flyers that say “do not put garbage in the canals”; Opening of a ‘social house’ to be used by women and children.
 
GROUP 3
OBERVATIONS: wide streets on laterit soil with many grasses. pipework in bad condition, lack of public lighting, (which takes 4 years to get installed following the complete procedure), houses were built in different architectural types and were all poorly finished and precarious, education infrastructure is adequate  consisting of 2 schools with theoretically 95-100 students per class, sports spaces were built together with the new class rooms. Every 100 meters there is a "la bonne eau" supply and water vendors are present most of the time. People plant potatoes and cabbage[s7]  on the shore of the river.
CRITICAL ASPECTS: lack of arbolization. Lack of water treatment and water quality control. The cost of treatment is increasing: inadequate teacher/students sometimes exceeding 100.erminate [s8] 
PROPOSALS: a central canalization system with obligatory waste water pre-treatment for each house. Use of sewage to water the trees on the streets.
 
GROUP 4
OBSERVATIONS/ CRITICAL ASPECTS. dusty roads, dirty sewage canals, precarious construction non-stabilized "banco" (adobe) technology. The street system is not orthogonal, but at least:[s9]  the streets have names. No clear separation between public and private space.
PROPOSALS: Cleaning of the open waste water canals; sensitization of the population; Integration of the schools in all improvement efforts; Improving the notion of maintenance in public service delivery; creation of spaces reserved for games; mixed use road design including also "benches for rest", promotion of alternative construction materials as the owners do not manage to terminate  their houses as planned due to lack of means; Environmental sensitization through the schools; well-planned system of garbage collection; distinction between access, parking and circulation streets; displacement of some road side activities along Route N°5 to the interior of the neighbourhood in order to avoid road accidents; Improvement of education of[s10]  opportunities to the resident population
.
Report: Silvia Matuk  

         BAMAKO

BAMAKO with its mix of french and mali culture, has still a walkable centre where  most cultural activities take place. It is not a megacity, and therefore promises a resonable though not extremely exiting living base for several months or even years - at least under the conditions we still had the privilege to experience. 
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When we were in Bamako, the university did not have a proper architecture program - but the professor closest to that profession, was just about to found a new private university just for architecture - which is now ESIAU [ecole superieure d'ingenierie d'architecture et d'urbanisme]. They have a nice promotion video with mali music - where the founder ABOULAYE DEYOKO can also be seen. 

          SEGOU

SEGOU, in a historical perspective, is a conglomerate of four different villages - which makes it very interesting in cultural terms. each of these communities - some of them aobut 10 km apart still have their own mosque - although the main mosque seems big anoughth to accommodate the entire province. when we visited the most western nucleus, also known as OLD SEGOU, we were shown the traditional institution of the CHILDREN'S HOUSE - a place where no adults are admitted to enter ever. Interestingly ennough, there exists an intentional community known as ZEGG close to berlin of some 100 individuals who have established the same institution [and also share the practice of poligamy with some dogon tribes in mali].
At the time of your travel, SEGOU also seemed to be unofficial arts capital of mali with several foundations and artistic activities taking in and around the city. On example would be the artistic fabric workshop  LE NDOMO revitalising traditional west african design located in Palengama, outside the centre towards the east. This technique is known as BOGOLAN, also known as mud cloth due to the teatment with fermented earth. 

Close to the same place we visited a sort of art gallery and residence of a frenchman michel fleuri, ESPACE BAJIDALA. His house and garden were filled with his fantasy sculpures - very inspiring. the place also served as meeting point for artists and musicians and housed artists in residents. eventually it turned into a pension and finally was taken over by the HAMBE HOTEL offering accomodation in 11 guest rooms. but most of the artwork has gone, of course.

         DJENNÉ

DJENNE is one of the oldest cities of africa due to its location on the NIGER river - about the only transportation route across west africa, where  salt, gold, and slaves where moved and sold between the 15th and 17th century. All traditional houses have been built from adobe. Since 1988 djenné has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.​

          MOPTI

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MOPTI  was founded only by the french colonial powers at the beginning of the 20th century. due to its flat topography and the joining of two important rivers - the NIGER and de BANI RIVER - the area tends to be flooded for half of the year. This is good for rice production, but not for trade or building towns. It is unclear what was the attraction for the french army, but they decided build a 12km dam to make the place accessible all year round. but due to the scarcity of land,  Mopti became the first city with multi-storey buildings. To mark the importance of the city, the french (!) built the great mosque of mopti in 1933, modelled by the famous mosque of wealthy djenné.
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Since 2012, when northern mali, including timbuktu, became under control of the islamists, mopti has become the principal destination of refugees from the war region. to make things worse, heavy floods affected the area in 2019, causing IOM making an emergency call for aid.

           BANDIAGARA

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BANDIAGARA  is the administrative center of the dogon area, and the last chance for supplies which are not produced by the villagers themselves. also the architecture is mostly international, or better: like in the periphery of any small town in france. there is only one exception this being the hotel chambray CHEVAL BLANC.  it was designed by the italian architect fabricio carola [1931-2019] and whose work will be portrayed further below.

           SOROLI

SOROLI

SOROLI

Download map 1

Download map 1

Download map 1

Download map 2

THE DOGON TERRITORY can be characterized by two different geographical situations. the smaller number can be found on top of a large plateau, several 100 meters above the large and mostly sandy desert. right underneath the escarpment of the plateau are remaining villages representing the majority. 

SOROLI is comparatively large and the only village on the plateau north-east of bandiagara. Being out of the conventional touristic route, very few foreigners pass by - and if they do [like our group] this represents a major event. We were greeted when our cars came into sight and accompanied back to the parking place when we left. 
the village offers all the building typology of almost all dogon villages: representative con storage containers with their decorative hats on top, a mosque, a meeting place of the elders, the weekly market square and - somewhere - also the modest residences of the population in between.​

           BAMBA

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BAMBA is the most eastern village where most tourists get, if at all.  It must not be confused with the small town on the niger river, further east of timbuktu, which got known for a terrorist attack in May 2020.  BAMBA in the Dogonland is rather known for its years FISHING FIEST which attracts people from the entire region. but in other season it is also worth visiting for its colourful market.

           YOUGOUMA

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This village is highly photogenic but almost depopulated due to the almost inaccessible location in the gaps of the rocks half way up to the mountain. remarkable is also the meeting place of the elders with a unique view onto the plane.

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           YENDOUMA

YENDOUMA  is located right in the centre of the DOGON area, where there is a connection between the plateau and the low lands underneath.  also this village is connected to a local 3-day festival, marking the end of the year. 

           KOUNDOU

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KOUNDOU is a central market place in the geographical line of many smaller villages. 

           BANANI

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BANANI, located on - and within - the cliff is remarkable for its wood carvings and great views over the plane. together with the close-by villages KOUNDU [north] and SANGHA [right above on the plateau] seem to be the principal villages to receive international assistance from the dutch NGO 'PARTNERS PAYS DOGON'. their website also has the best [=satellite] map of the DOGON area - which also allows you to zoom in and identify individual houses!

         NOMBORI

NOMBORI is another dogon village at the foot of the escarpment, but earned a special importance through being the residence of a HOGON, which is spiritual leader among the dogon people. one might doubt whether this is a privilege or a burden - a consideration that applies to all leaders anyway. 

another speciality of NOMBORI is the onion production culture. since water provision is seasonal. onions are dried in the sun for better conservation - but also to be turned into a kind of powder in a ceremony with dances and all the rest as you can watch on tourism promotion video.

there is an artistic photo stream showing black-and-white photos of NOMBORI among other location ins western africa.

          DOUROU

DOUROU is the name of village and also the larger rural commune. Hence there can be a confusion between different reports by travellers. There is a video on the net showing the descend on foot from the village dourou on the top of the plateau to the plane below. but the reference of most travelers are the sand dunes on the bottom towards NOMBORI where so many of them got stranded in the dunes - even with a 4x4 vehicle. so, come prepared!

           ENDE / TELI

ENDE, located almost at the southern end of the line of dogon villages at the foot of the escarpment, is a relatively well populated village. this implies conflicts about the distribution of precious resources: land and water, first of all.  PACT and GIZ embarked on a conflict management program in the region - but of relevance for the rest of the world as well. 
TELI is a small village 6km south-west from ende. The name derives from the ancient tellem people of mali who built their mud homes high up on a cliff ledge on the Bandiagara escarpment. the many photos of teli mosque offered in the internet for sale hint at an outstanding pittoresque building.

           NANDO

NANDO was not on the schedule of our visits, but passing by on the road we immediately recognized the most organic architectural expression different from the other villages. Many tourists believe, once they have visited three villages they also know the rest. Nando is perfect case to prove the opposite.

           NIONGONO

"From a distance NIONGONO looks like a castle perched on a small mountain. on closer inspection it is not a castle, but a village of individual houses snuggled on the slopes of the hill. Even if it is not a castle, it still has a medieval air to it. There is no running water or electricity, the buildings are made of stone and clay, any windows are small and all  the transport is by foot or donkey. throughout much of the dogon country the villages have moved off the hills, that historically provided some protection, onto the flatlands, but most of the population of niongono still lives on the hill. there are only a couple of approaches to the fortress so these carry a pretty constant stream of people hauling water, wood and farm produce from the flatlands up into the village" [quotation from ibike.org] 

         SONGO

The outstanding feature of SONGO, a rather large village, is its INITIATION CAVE with its many, many and well preserved drawings from whatever moment in the past. the village is also known for it's home generated sustainable tourism concept - which also tries to preserve the many traditional dances practised by the dogon.

          FABRIZIO CAROLA

VIDEO

Fabrizio Carola was an italian architect [1931-2019] who mostly built in african countries  and was facinated by the archaic formal expression of native architectural forms. He expalins his theories in an instructive video [in italian]. The technology of constructing Carola's beloved domes is also well demonstrated in a video by Syracuse University. His most famous - and most ambiguously discussed - work was the mud-built kaedi regional hospital, Mauritania for which he earned the aga khan award in 1995.
In 1971he started to work as an architect in MOPTI, where he became acquainted with nubian architecture which influenced much of his future work.
during our field trip we had a chance to visit his hotel complex in Biandagara, and the buildings of the construction training centre in mopti.

          MOPTI HOSPITAL CENTER

ARCHNET

section through bedroom

bedroom plan

master plan

overall section

view from the river

main entry

garden view

site plan

This regional hospital was built in 1976 by the french architect and architectural historian andré ravéreau (1919–2017) who is  known for his study and reinterpretations of vernacular Algerian architecture. the walls of the hospital and part of the roof structure are of traditional banco [mud] construction using a mixture of local grey clay stabilised with cement. Surfaces are finished with a smooth cement coating. Window openings are provided with metal shutters shaded by brise-soleils and deep overhangs. The extraordinary feature is the clever thermal design combining natural ventilation with temperature storage by the thick walls.   ravéreau earned the aga khan award for this building in 1983.

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