| January 21, 2011 | to | February 14, 2011 |
Kafountine, Casamance, Senegal, West Africa
Instructor Ibrahima Coly and Local Elders
tuition: $2000, 10% discount if registered by Nov 1st
contact: awanyaa[at]yahoo.com
Join us in building a Birth House for the traditional midwives of our
village of Kafountine. Working together with local villagers we will
construct an earthen building similar to those built and lived in by the
people of southern Senegal for centuries. The traditional technique
employs a building medium composed of sand, water & clay from old
termite mounds.
Through discussion and hands-on experience, workshop participants will
gain understanding of the science and use of straw-clay mixtures and
develop skills in cob construction. They will practice roofing and
thatching as well as the preparation and application of earthen plasters
and paints.
During the workshop period, guests will also participate in other
ongoing building projects in the residential compound housing current and
future building and midwifery workshop’s participants. These projects
include the construction of the community kitchen and bath house. (See
africanbirthcollective.org for
additional information about the midwifery project)
This Building with Traditional Materials workshop will be taught by a
group of professional Diola builders who live and work in the region
of the Casamance. Village resident and facilitator Ibrahima Coly will
be the liaison between the elder builders and the workshop
participants. Coly has been building with earth for over twenty years
in Africa and has been building and teaching in the US during the past
five years. He is fluent in 5 languages, and can assist workshop
participants who speak English, French, and three of the local languages.
Ibrahima’s family will host this project and provide food
and shelter in the everyday manner of life in Senegal. Extra
curricular activities will include a boat trip upriver to nearby
islands, attending a village mask dance, and traveling to see some
ancient architecture in the region. .
Each day will be filled with learning opportunities. We will work
hard, feast on delicious local cuisine, and enjoy the daily rhythms,
sights and sounds of Senegal. Food, lodging and transportation from Dakar to Casamance are included in the tuition price.
