Between Myth and Reality: the Aesthetics of Traditional Architecture in Hausaland (Volumes I and II).
Saad, Hamman Tukur
1981
Abstract
This is an attempt to illuminate the myths and reality that govern traditional architectural activity among the Hausas of northern Nigeria and southern Niger. To attain this goal we focus our attention on the urban master mason (magini), who has a long established tradition of excellence in craftsmanship. We are interested in capturing traditional architecture through the lenses of the master mason and , to a lesser extent, those of this traditional patron. The research methodology, therefore, involves interviews with descendants of historically renowned master masons, and present day masons and their patrons, in addition to participant observation on building sites. We try to analyze the roles and responsibilities of the traditional mason in the archetypical traditional Hausa city. More specifically, we look into his interaction with the rest of the urban society--the political system, the guild organization, his patron, his apprentice and the invisible jinn, demons and spirits that populate the cityscape of his conception--to see how this affects traditional architecture. We then proceed to look into his technical vocabulary. Not only do we analyze his materials and methods, but also make an attempt to capture his perception of the behavior of the materials and components of traditional architecture. Hausa master masons are renowned throughout Western and Central Sudan in connection with the "Hausa vault" or "bakan gizo". This is an arch form of construction, in reinforced mud based on the corbel principle, that enables masons to create clear spans of over seven meters. The details of this important principle and its applications in ceiling construction are analyzed. In addition, architectural decoration (zane) is treated with some detail. The importance of excellence, creativity and inventiveness, to the master mason, is recapitulated through analyzing the phenomenon of gwaninta, the periodic emergence of folkheros among builders known as gwanis. The gwani is an extraordinary person endowed with genius by nature and garbed in supernatural regalia by the master mason and his community. We examine past and present day heros, with a view of recapturing the myths, legends and reality that surround them and their architectural works. The criteria that govern architectural excellence among the masons and their patrons are studied in the latter parts of the dissertation. Both the language of architectural aesthetics and the aesthetic concepts that are buried in the linguistic gimmickry of the traditional critic, are examined. The study stresses the need to reevaluate prevailing theories with regard to traditional African architecture. It questions the validity of research methodologies that tend to treat the builder in a rather casual manner and concentrate, instead, on various scholarly formulations that sound great but have little bearing to the reality on the field. It demonstrates that there is a lot the modern African architect can learn from the traditional builder that has not yet been set in print.Types
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