Tiebelè, the village with hand-painted mud houses by the Gourounsi

Tiebelè, the village with hand-painted mud houses by the Gourounsi

Tiebelè, the village with hand-painted mud houses by the Gourounsi

This is a small rural village, located in the south of Burkina Faso, near the border with Ghana. It is the home of one of the oldest African ethnic groups, the Gourounsi.
The houses are made of mud and earth, once completed they are decorated by the women of the village, the only ones authorized to create these wonderful open-air masterpieces.

Tiebelè is the home of the Kassena, one of the oldest tribes in Burkina Faso, with great architectural skills. A people dedicated to agriculture, known for growing corn, peanuts, sesame and beans.

All the houses are built with mud, earth, straw and wood, all materials present in the area and expertly decorated according to the Gourounsi tradition. These are real hand-made murals that represent everyday objects or refer to religious symbolism.
The houses in the village have a circular layout and an extension of about 1.2 hectares. The walls are built vertically for better defense from enemies, while the walls, which are more than 30 centimeters thick, serve to protect the inhabitants from the scorching heat. There are no windows, but only a small opening to let in light.

The decorations, made exclusively by the “married women” of the tribe, are carried out after the rainy season in order to protect them from water that could fade them. A process that occurs through the use of black color obtained by blackening the stones on the fire and by preparing a clay mixture that will then be covered with a thin layer of red laterite. The murals resist the elements thanks to a natural dye of boiled pods, taken from the fruits of the carob tree.

Source: Amici della scienza.