Villages of West Africa: An Intimate Journey Across Time

Art and especially architecture are often seen as the exclusive realm of formally trained experts. Award-winning architects Steven and Cathi House explore the other side of that reality in a part of the world that has been at the crossroads of history for thousands of years. With more than 500 photographs and insightful commentary, they reveal the remarkable beauty of the people, land, villages, textiles, and vernacular architecture across seven countries of West Africa, situated between the Sahara Desert and Atlantic Ocean. The book celebrates the artisanship of tribal people who use building methods that are both practical and ingenious and that respond not just to local climate, materials, and topography, but also to the needs of the inhabitants with poetic insight, creating environments that are stimulating and sustainable. With their clarity, function, and beauty, these villages are living models of what community life can be. AUTHORS: Award-winning architects Steven and Cathi House have traveled to more than sixty countries documenting indigenous cultures. Their work has been exhibited widely and featured in national and international publications. SELLING POINTS: . An original study of remote villages in seven West Africa countries, by two accomplished architects . 500 photographs feature handcrafted earthen architecture, artisan textiles, ceramics, and the people who make them . Includes maps and historical information about these fabled places at the edge of the world 512 colour and b/w images