We visited “Dogon Country” in Mali (latitude 15°N) in 2008 to observe how vernacular “Dogon” architecture (a UNESCO World Heritage site) has achieved the counter-form of lived experiences. We were looking for the coherence between society and dwelling through architecture and urbanism in another dimension and another culture.
To freely practice their animist worship, the Dogon people fled Islam in the 11th century, taking refuge in the Bandiagara Escarpment in southern Mali. There, protected by geography and distance, they still practice their ancestral rites today (2008) in harmony with their social, administrative, and economic traditions. Millet farming, goat herding, hunting, cotton weaving, building modest houses and granaries, making baskets, mats, and masks, and attending the weekly market are their most important activities.
.jpg?1656431029 "Architecture and Urbanism in “Dogon Country”: From Aldo van Eyck to Francis Kéré")
.jpg?1656431037 "Architecture and Urbanism in “Dogon Country”: From Aldo van Eyck to Francis Kéré")
