Situated on a hilltop overlooking the sunny savannah of West Africa, there is a village untouched by tourism. And as incredible as it sounds, in Tiebele of Burkina Faso, every house is a real work of art!
With an area of almost 12 acres, the clay architecture dominates in Tiebele and, apart from the Chief of the tribe, the Royal Court and the nobility of the Kassena people can be found there, who settled in Burkina Faso during the fifteenth century. The Royal Court is built of mud bricks, joined together by layers of clay in geometric patterns, to stand out from the other houses, and for religious reasons wearing red or holding an umbrella is forbidden. Sometimes symbolic, sometimes purely decorative, one thing is certain: their art stems from the skills of Kassena, one of the oldest ethnic groups in Africa.
It’s interesting the fact that the inhabitants have chosen to be isolated from visitors, in order to ensure the conservation of their traditions, while a potential touristic development would significantly enhance the creation of financial resources.
The photos are taken from Rita Willaert’ s Flickr, who visited the village in 2009.
