Resistance to the Slave Trade: Early Modern Period

One of the factors that transformed African architecture was African resistance to the slave trade, often through unique adaptation to protect the spaces and the different communities that resided within them, as a method called a “grand pillage” was extremely common. These pillages were led by raiders who captured and enslaved many folk from their daily lives in order to sell them for profit at many coastal towns. Some methods of resistance against raiders included cow horns to alert villages nearby and hiding within local natural forms, such as the three caves of the Daagare people of Sankana.

 Nzulezu, Ghana. Photograph by Louis P. Nelson, March 2011.

 

One particularly interesting method of protection was that of building structures within the water on edges of lakes that were usually hidden visually. Being hidden, as well as being on the water, made villages much harder to access, and therefore more defensible from raiders. This practice can be seen ranging from the Dahomey people and within Western Ghana.  

 

Possible Research Projects:

How accessibility, sustainability, and African architecture can intersect. How has earth been used within contemporary pieces of architecture?

What is the history of accessibility requirements for buildings within varying countries in Africa? How have some spaces been organized for disabled folks in the past?