Takienta Tower-House Builder

Stack coil-built clay walls, a two-storey flat roof, a thatched granary cone and an animal pen to complete a fortified family compound before the rains, matching tower shapes to the plot.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Togo. Some forms of this practice carry deep meaning for the communities who keep it; here we describe the play and the craft only, with respect for its roots.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Africa: Sahel, West and Central.