African Architecture

Africa and the architecture

From the moment the sole of my shoes touched the mother land, a rush of adrenaline and anticipation strikes me like lightning on a rainy day. The bright burning sun blurred my vision for a moment as the smell of goat meat assaulted my nose. As I walked out of the airport I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity of the lifestyle which has spread in every aspect of Uganda. The four hour Journey to Jinja further emphasised on the simple architecture surrounding Uganda. Examining the wrecked grey concrete building, with a sign that says “Authorised dealer”, I realised that every building looked similar with a flat iron roof.  The simple rectangle shape implied a lack of architectural complexity that keeps an engineer sleepless. Architecture aesthetic is almost irrelevant in most areas; it is rather the business opportunity foremost. 

Four hours away from the plangent town of jinja, I found myself peregrinating around Sipi falls. Sipi falls is a breathtaking landscape holding three powerful waterfalls, gloriously attracting tourists from around the world. Geographically standing in eastern Uganda in the district of Kapchorwa, it is almost like the revealed Holy Grail, with opportunities to hike, abseil and a chance to do a coffee tour. A loud cry of infrastructure in this astonishing scenery has hit my mind faster than a bullet; the many green spaces could be used to construct hotels and likewise buildings. Although there is an infrastructural void in this place, there is also a political barrier that makes the situation unpleasant. Regardless of the situation, I came across some classic African architecture in Sipi Falls. Above the waterfall and a few metres away I found rest in a classic wood bar, the roof was gently hand thatched with hundreds of straw in a triangular shape. The walls were made of wood and so was the furniture. I became aware of the eco-friendly hut that environed me in Uganda, the cost efficiency of the material was the main reason of its popularity, especially within the poor habitants as I observed. 

 

In spite of everything, I believe the beauty of African architecture is its simplicity and uniqueness, the natural hut made of nature, a mixture of solid compressed soil, water and cow dung that makes it so impressive. Although this is mostly found in villages, it is incredible to know that the culture still stand after all these years.