ARC 2031.

02 The Americas & Africa

Ryan Munsey Due: 09/14/2021

Your region: West and Central Africa

• West
o Comprised of 16 countries
o The northern portion of the subregion consists of the Sahel region, which is
the semi-arid land that separates the Sahara Desert in the north from the
savannas to the south. Half of the countries are situated in the Sahel, while
the other half are in the savanna region, close to the Atlantic Ocean.
o Climate is controlled by the interaction of two air masses, the influence of
which varies throughout the year with the north-south movement of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
Ecologica ▪ Hot, dry continental air masses originating from the high-pressure
l system above the Sahara Desert give rise to dusty Harmattan winds
considera over most of West Africa from November to February
tions ▪ In summer, moist equatorial air masses originating over the Atlantic
(physical
Ocean bring annual monsoon rains.
surroundi https://eros.usgs.gov/westafrica/node/157#:~:text=Temperatures%20in%20the%20lowland
ngs, s%20of,reach%20above%2040%C2%B0C.&text=Thus%2C%20year%2Dto%2Dyear,Sahel%20(
weather/ FAO%2C%201983).
climate, • Central
etc.) o Consists of 9 countries
o The landscapes of Central Africa are most often wide plateaus, which are
smooth in the central part and etched at the periphery. The interior basin of
the Congo River is joined to the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow neck traversing
ridges parallel to the coast.
o Hot and wet climates on both sides of the Equator. The equatorial strip that
extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Rift Valley is influenced
throughout the year by the intertropical convergence zone, resulting in
intense, heavy precipitation. https://www.britannica.com/place/central-Africa

Primary
building
materials
& • Compounds
methods o See planning
(what do
• Cylindrical houses
they
build o With less wood available, these are often constructed of mud in a coil
with, and pottery technique. It is customary to lay the mud spirally in “lifts” of
how do approximately half a meter, allowing each lift to dry before adding the next.
they fit
that stuff
together?
)
 • West
o Two of the biggest ethnic groups are the Hausa and Fulani, who number
about 20 million each and live mostly in northwestern Nigeria and southern
Niger.
▪ The Fulani have the distinction of being the largest nomadic group in
the world.
o Mossi, who make up about half the population of Burkina Faso; the Yoruba
and Igbo, who live mostly in southwestern and southeastern Nigeria
o Arabs live in Mauritania.
o Although the number of people who speak indigenous languages far
outnumber those who speak European languages, it is the latter that are the
official languages in most West African states. English French and
Patterns
Portuguese is spoken in respective former colonies such as Niger, Mali, Togo,
of social
life (esp. Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cabo Verde.
as o Most of the people in West Africa practice Islam.
related to o Christianity is dominant in the savanna regions.
civic/publ o 411 million people live in West Africa.
ic and ▪ Under half the West African population lives in urban areas
residenti o All the countries of West Africa are considered developing countries.
al/privat
e
• Central
buildings o Middle Africa is home to an estimated 184 million people.
— o Ethnic groups
consider ▪ One of the largest ethnic groups are the Kongo, who live in the
politics, southern parts of both Congo countries, as well as northern Angola.
religion, ▪ Luba, who live in the central part of DR Congo
family
▪ Hutu, who live in eastern DR Congo
structure
)
▪ Ovimbundu and Mbundu of Angola
▪ Zande in the Central African Republic
▪ Sara of southern Chad
▪ Arabs of northern Chad
▪ Fang, who live in northern Gabon, southern Cameroon,
and Equatorial Guinea
o Speak European languages as their countries’ official languages.
▪ French and English is the official language in Chad, DR Congo, Congo,
Gabon, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
▪ Portuguese is the official language in both Angola, Principle, and Sao
Tome
▪ Spanish is the official language of Equatorial Guinea
o All the countries of Middle Africa are classified as developing countries.
Art ▪ Prominent in many west and central African towns are the mosques, which
traditions frequently display a formal conjunction between Islamic structure
(what and indigenous conical ancestral pillars and shrines. The earliest surviving of these is
“unneces
probably the ziggurat but more typical of the savanna form are the mosques,
sary”
ornamen bristling with wood reinforcement.
t is ▪ The decoration of clay walls with colored clay and sometimes are sculpted into
importan decorative motifs
t?)
• Compounds
o Cluster of units linked by walls. Many compounds are circular in plan.
Earthen wall and floor surfaces are plastered smooth and dried to a rocklike
Planning hardness. These surfaces are often decorated with colored clays and, in
(layout of some instances, sculpted with ancestral motifs. Flat roofs with parapets are
floorplan also built, sometimes in the same compound, supported either
s, independently by a log frame of forked posts and cross members or by joists
villages,
civic
inserted into the clay walls; hollowed half-log gargoyles throw off water
centers, during seasonal rains. Dwelling huts, granaries and other stores, and pens for
etc.) goats and fowl are built within the same compound.
https://www.britannica.com/art/African-architecture/Geographic-influences

• Cylindrical houses
• sometimes interconnected

What would you name as the primary building typology for your region and its primary culture (as pertains to ARC
2031)? [BUILDING TYPE]

The mosques decoration both regions would represent the primary building typology for its primary function as a
religious structure and representative of the culture because pillar construction that dates to ancient times that is
unique to the two areas.

What cultural values are associated with this typology? [THEORY, PATRONAGE]

The cultural values associated with this typology come from Islam, but also pay homage the indigenous conical
culture of ancestral pillars and shrines native to the region.

How did its form come to be? [TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN, CONTEXT]

The construction of these mosque is similar to the construction of the cylindrical houses, except bigger and more
external and internal supports. The start of the construction is the same (albeit larger) forming up clay and letting it
dry in the sun, then putting on another layer on that. However, when the mosque starts gaining in height large
wooden cross beams are installed to give support to the structure.