The protohistoric remains of Senegambia
The architecture of the region of West Africa corresponding to Senegal today dates back to the Neolithic period. Numerous megaliths are still standing as evidence of the beginnings of a proto-architecture. The megalithic circles of the island of Fadiouth are a good example. In the entire Senegambia region, between the two rivers of the same name, there are nearly one hundred of them, ninety-three to be precise, and they are classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The circles are spread over four sites: Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch. The stones, ranging from eight to fourteen, are cut from volcanic rock or laterite, which forms concretions that are easy to work. They are part of a larger group of sites where we also find undressed stones and protohistoric burial mounds dating back to the 1st and 2nd millennia BC.
Vernacular architecture
Suffocated by colonial power and internal rivalries, traditional societies have never used or considered architecture as a mark of power. Nevertheless, their genius and intelligence were manifested through a strictly functional habitat, admirably beautiful by its sobriety and privileging the use of local materials: stone, earth, wood and straw. This genius was manifested indiscriminately in all regions of Senegal, from the earthen huts of eastern Senegal, naturally air-conditioned and perfectly adapted to the rigors of the climate, to the Casamance and its magnificent impluvium huts, whose funnel-shaped roofs collect rainwater, and its astonishing multi-story huts - not forgetting the Sahelian Peul huts, whose lightness and ease of assembly are suited to the nomadic lifestyle. Among the farming peoples, the granaries that accompany the houses are a constant, whatever the materials with which they are made, they are always found raised above the ground, in order to preserve their contents from rodents.
The vernacular architecture responds in all its details, like the Dogon cosmogony, to mystical and ancestral imperatives, which can be guessed in the fractal organization of the habitat and the organic form of the concessions.
The dual heritage of Métis and colonial architecture
The islands of Gorée and Saint-Louis, both listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, are considered masterpieces of colonial architecture. This assessment must be qualified. It is important to distinguish between Métis architecture and colonial architecture. Indeed, if they developed well during the colonial period, these two cities were built by the Métis bourgeoisie who monopolized the economic and political power of the country for nearly three centuries. This characteristic housing, with its arcades, verandas, and shaded courtyards, was designed and built by the signares (the Métis women of Goree and Saint-Louis) and their descendants, who often strongly opposed colonial authority. The Guillabert House, built in 1900, as well as the Hôtel du Palais in Saint-Louis, are fine examples of the architecture of the Métis bourgeoisie of the time.
The Slave House of Gorée is one of the most symbolic places of the slave trade. Dating from 1776, it is the last slave house in Gorée. Its staircase with two spires frames a central corridor full of history. It opens directly onto the sea, creating a breakthrough of bright light in the heart of the building. This is where the slaves would have left for a journey of no return. At least, that's what its curator used to tell all visitors. Historical research has determined that it was in fact the home of the signar Anna Colas, but the place is still a part of the duty of remembrance - the first floor of this beautiful ochre building is now a museum. The persistence of its curator, Boubacar Ndiaye (1922-2009), contributed to placing Gorée at the heart of the history of slavery until the island was placed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 1978. Surely there was some good to come out of this affabulation!
For their part, the colonists produced monumental architecture in these cities to impress the natives and to mark their power, first military, then administrative. Thus, as rivalries between nations subsided, the old fort of Saint-Louis, founded in 1659, became the governor's palace. The one built later in Dakar by Governor Roume inspired a whole series of neoclassical style structures, such as the Chamber of Commerce or the Town Hall.
Mixing of genres
Some buildings in Dakar stand out for their originality and their sometimes confusing eclecticism, such as the Cathedral of African Remembrance, inaugurated in 1929. Its towers reflect the neo-Sudanese architecture that was in vogue at the time (expressing the synthesis of Sudanese and colonial styles) while its multiple domes and terraces are made in a pure Byzantine style. Its caryatids have the features of young Fulani women. Its materials are African (Sudanese sandstone, Tunisian marble, Gabonese wood) and European (Breton granite and Auteuil bronzes). The building is built on a Greek cross plan, the center of which is occupied by a vast dome lit by twenty windows.
The Dakar station was built in 1914 in a colonial style that seems to be influenced by Art Nouveau, as evidenced by its large glass facades and their fine metal structures, as well as the canopies and cornices. Its ochre color and its sloping roofs evoke the local and colonial architecture. The Kermel market, with its large metal frame, shows signs of Islamic architecture on its façade, whose door is formed by a large horseshoe arch, characteristic of Moorish architecture. It was completely rebuilt in 1997 after a fire. The Sandaga market can be recognized by its reinforced concrete lacework reproducing a moucharabieh. It is now threatened with demolition. A magnificent example of the Sudanese-Sahelian style, the Théodore Monod Museum of African Art was built in 1931.
Thanks to the use of concrete, the buildings are getting taller. The Maginot building in Dakar is representative of the architectural style of the 1940s. A modern architecture is gradually emerging. The buildings surrounding the Place de l'Indépendance, such as the Cheikh Anta Diop University (1959) and the grand hotel of Ngor Diarama, are fine examples.
Senghor and asymmetrical parallelism
At independence, in 1960, President Senghor, who had just inherited the reins of power, wanted an aesthetic renewal of architecture, which would draw its inspiration from local tradition. He redefined the canons of the Sudano-Sahelian style and invented the "asymmetrical parallelism", which he made compulsory - and the law is still in force. Examples that clearly claim to be asymmetrical parallelism are the Dakar fair, called CICES, and his own house on the Corniche, which became the Senghor Museum. Another example is the emblematic Kébé building, built in the 1990s, which is one of the tallest in Dakar. The irregularly cut line of its façade creates a play of lines evoking Op'art. In the city center, some large buildings will be inspired by the shape and colors of African masks or traditional weavings.
Contemporary architecture
Dakar, the old white city on its green cape, is now in full mutation. If it has kept its wide shaded avenues, the hundred-year-old trees are disappearing little by little and construction sites are multiplying. The cornice along the ocean is becoming denser as the land increases in value. Elegant modern buildings answered to the purified style buildings of the previous decades. The small villas with their ornate mantling and finials, chosen by the colonists from a catalog, gradually disappeared, victims of land speculation. The Maison des anciens combattants, inaugurated in 1950, recognizable by its beautiful Art Deco façade decorated with a large bas-relief that follows the curve of the building on the second floor, is in a sorry state. A few still stand as anachronistic witnesses of a bygone era. The Gate of the Third Millennium, by Pierre Goudiaby Atepa (1947-), erected in 2001, is supposed to symbolize this intense development of the capital. The Senegalese architect also stands out the impressive monument of the African Renaissance, also in Dakar.
A young generation of architects is now emerging in Senegal, like the AMKNA studio, which was recently nominated for a World Architecture Award in the future projects category for the Sedhiou Cultural Center. This brick building has an airy roof made of sheet metal, with an open frame that stands out from the surrounding walls, allowing air to circulate. A circular opening in the center of the building collects rainwater and creates an interior fountain. Its funnel-shaped roof is a direct quotation of the Casamance impluvium huts, and a tribute to local engineering. The openings on the facades, framed in wood, strongly recall the asymmetrical parallelism.
An architectural heritage at risk
Poorly protected by inadequate regulations, lack of funds and insufficient awareness, the entire Senegalese architectural heritage is threatened with extinction. Corrugated iron is gradually replacing straw and cement blocks are replacing mud bricks.
The appearance of air conditioners marks the abandonment of the consideration of climatic criteria in the architectural vocabulary and the disappearance of high ceilings, verandas, shutters, screens and sunbreakers. This is particularly noticeable in the suburbs of Dakar, where the dominant architectural model is similar to a cube entirely covered with tiles, flanked by loggias with improbable shapes.
On the edge of the desert, Fulani shepherds settle in houses of uncertain comfort, but certainly modern, while in Casamance, the impluvium huts are now counted on the fingers of one hand. The damage to heritage is irreversible and architects, dear to Senghor's heart, are sometimes the main actors. In fact, the Dakar School of Architecture closed its doors in 1991. Unesco's protection remains derisory and there is now strong talk of placing Saint-Louis on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
