Art in traditional African domestic architecture: its place in modern housing and implications for the training of architects

Abstract

Over the years, art in its various forms has played a vital role in the lives of African people. It served as a major form of communicative expression of religious beliefs and socio-cultural norms of the people. Its form, presentation and significance however, varied from one cultural setting to another. This paper examines art in the context of domestic architecture of indigenous people of South West Nigeria and its relevance in contemporary housing as well as what it portends for architectural education in that cultural zone. The paper notes the disappearance of the rich traditional motifs and symbols from contemporary housing and their replacement with more contemporary art forms influenced by globalisation and industrial mass production. It concludes that the current trend presents an architecture that is devoid of cultural architectural uniqueness and identity. One of the implications identified is for architectural curricula to incorporate indigenous themes that will help architects produce domestic architecture that have contextual relevance. Data for the paper was collected through literature review and the qualitative research method using interviews and observations of houses in the zone. Those interviewed include architects and residents in the zone. Data was content analysed to highlight common themes.

Keywords: Art, Domestic architecture, Yorubaland