The origins
Chad is rich in fascinating treasures dating back thousands of years. Among them are the Télé-Nugar iron mines, used since Antiquity. Divided into communicating cavities, the large gallery is pierced with holes to let in air and light. The gallery vault is supported by pillars carved into the rock face. There are also numerous furnaces and other tuyères, demonstrating a consummate art of engineering. But it was the great kingdoms that had the most lasting impact on the country. The kingdom of Kanem-Bornou was ruled by a mai (king), the key figure in a centralized, Islamicized state. It was in the 16th century, under the reign of Idris Alaoma, that the kingdom reached its apogee. At that time, the king had all the country's mosques rebuilt. Until then, mosques had been built of plant materials, delimited by simple fences, or even simply marked out on the ground! The material chosen by the sovereign was red terracotta brick. The ruins of Ouara illustrate the power of the Ouaddaï kingdom. They include the Palace of Sultan Abdel Kerim Ibn Djamé, built entirely in terracotta brick. Surrounded by a wall 325 m in diameter, this palatial complex includes a high watchtower, a large council hall and accommodation for wives and concubines. Outside the enclosure, the Great Mosque (25 x 27 m) was also built in baked bricks. When the Ouara wells dried up, the sultanate moved its capital to Abeche, which soon became one of the major strongholds of the Arab slave trade route. At the center of the city was the Sultan's Palace, itself surrounded by numerous mud buildings and mosques, all part of a typically Arab urban layout of narrow, winding lanes connecting squares. The kingdom of Baguirmi continued this tradition of princely and palatial architecture, while also erecting buildings linked to the slave trade. Chad has therefore always been marked by the presence of large, structured and centralized entities, using architecture as a symbol of power. On the shores of Lake Chad, the Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, developed a civilization with unique architecture. The Sao, ancestors of the Kotoko, developed a civilization with a unique style of architecture, using the materials available on the shores of the lake to build their astonishing earthen architecture: palm trees, doum and date palms, vermiculite (a clay mineral). Gaoui, the ancient Sao capital, still reveals many of the treasures of this period. This princely architecture places the Sultan's Palace at the strategic heart of a concentric layout. Surrounded by its own wall, the Palace is a superb juxtaposition of circular turrets covered with curved clay tiles and pierced by oculi to allow water drainage, and rectangular buildings topped by flat roofs, all linked by courtyards. This architecture is sublimated by extensive decorative work. This is a ritual performed by the women after each rainy season. Using a piece of cloth or a brush, they apply geometric or symbolic motifs, always painted in black, white or ochre. The rest of the city was divided into neighborhoods for extended families, also living in earthen buildings. The Kotoko chiefs continued this tradition of imposing princely architecture, all verticality and pomp, adding an even more symbolic dimension. Indeed, they constantly remodeled pre-existing structures, establishing their urban centers on authentic tells covered with the remains of past eras, including superb pottery shards. A way of anchoring their power in time. Other fascinating power structures include the architecture of the Moundang kingdom, and more specifically the Palais du Gôn de Léré. This defensive earthen architecture gives pride of place to ceremonial rooms and decorative work, notably through superb wickerwork screens. Protected by a high wall punctuated by turrets, the palace features an astonishing 57 cells made up of flat-roofed huts, each preceded by an enormous silo. The entire structure is built from a mixture of clay and gravel. Many other peoples took advantage of the vegetation to build their defences. Bosquets-fortins with trees and platforms, sari or entirely plant-based barriers (notably made up of thorn trees) and finally ngulmun, forts made up of thick earthen walls preceded by circular ditches with two funnel-shaped entrances barricaded with tree trunks and always installed in densely wooded sites... these are the symbols of this totally natural defensive architecture. Fascinated by all these riches, artist-sculptor Nicolas Gangebakoiré set himself the crazy challenge of reproducing all these great structures in miniature, so that a trace of these thousand-year-old kingdoms would remain forever. This project was supported by WenakLabs, Chad's1st innovation hub!
Vernacular riches
In traditional Chadian architecture, the basic unit is the dwelling hut, to which are added the kitchens and granaries. Whether on stilts or not, bottle-shaped or cyclops-like like those of the Mofou with their single opening, granaries are the focus of much attention, as they are the guarantors of people's survival. This cell is part of a larger whole, the family compound, which is itself part of the village. The courtyard of the compound is the fundamental element. This is where daily life is organized. Generally speaking, the cells are arranged in a circle around this courtyard, the whole concession being protected by a plant fence. However, with the multiplication of roads, these housing circles have tended to disappear in favor of a line layout. Originally, the Chadian hut was circular in plan, with mud-brick and dried-straw walls, topped by a conical or domed roof formed by a juxtaposition of straw rings, the last of which overhang to protect the walls from rain erosion. These circular huts are favored by bush farmers. Rectangular huts with 2, 4 or flat roofs are generally made of "banco armé", i.e. earth placed on a wooden frame. These huts are the prerogative of more urban populations, largely influenced by Arab merchants. Beyond these general characteristics, Chad's vernacular architecture offers an infinite variety, which is one of the country's greatest assets. The absence of wood and the presence of the region's own building clay led the Mousgoum people to develop a unique form of architecture: that of the hut-bus or Teleuk. Masters in the art of pottery, the Mousgoum have used their knowledge to create these curved huts, made entirely of clay and plant fibers, the tallest of which can reach up to 20 m. Successive layers of clay eventually join to form a self-supporting dome. Sculpted in the manner of pottery, these huts are adorned with grooves and protruding elements. These structural elements serve both as stepping stones to facilitate the construction and maintenance of the hut, and as run-off water management systems to prevent erosion of the walls. The Kotoko, on the other hand, have designed circular huts with flattened domed roofs, and rectangular huts with the appearance of truncated pyramids. In both cases, the frameworks are made of crossbeams or wooden hoops on which thatch is placed. The Kanembu, on the other hand, have developed a fascinating architecture that is a veritable ode to basketry. Some even compare their huts to upside-down baskets! Their frames are usually made of interwoven wooden sticks, over which thin layers of woven straw are laid. Order and ornamental richness are the hallmarks of Massa architecture. Made from termite-mound earth (which provides an excellent mortar and is termite-proof!), their huts feature interiors decorated with ochre clay-based painted motifs and figures carved into the walls. The Bornouans, for their part, have developed astonishing domed roofs supported by stakes placed around the hut in a regular pattern, to which protective bundles of reeds are applied. The Banguirmi huts have an additional fundamental element: the central pillar, considered sacred. All the peoples of Chad share this vision of spiritual and protective architecture organized around magico-religious elements. On the shores of lakes, earthen huts with conical thatched roofs are protected from the wind and prying eyes by ingenious reed screens. Chad is also home to numerous nomadic and semi-nomadic ethnic groups whose habitat is designed to adapt to the needs and constraints of this way of life. While some nomads are content to set up makeshift shelters in the undergrowth or in the shade of trees, others, like the Arab nomads, establish real camps called ferrik. These consist of a number of tents with entrances facing away from the prevailing winds, all arranged to create a sort of protective corral for the livestock. The fundamental element is the bed around which the tent is then built. The tent's skeleton is made up of rows of poles and pillars and more flexible hoops. Palm mats held together by ropes are then rolled out. The Sara fishermen, on the other hand, set up camp in very light cylindrical huts with extremely steep roofs to withstand the heavy rains of the southern regions. Semi-nomadic peoples, mostly Arab, developed a mixture of temporary structures (mat tents, small huts made of millet stalks covered with straw) and permanent structures. Vast domed huts with wooden frames, circular huts with roofs so imposing that the walls are indistinguishable, adobe huts, all these structures have one space in common: the kurara, a kind of cubic alcove whose mat-covered walls are designed to protect the most precious objects. And there are many more vernacular treasures to discover!
From colonial times to the present day
Unlike its neighbors, Chad was never the subject of major urbanization and construction plans during the French period. Initially, a form of cohabitation prevailed, with many indigenous villages settling on the outskirts of military and administrative posts. But the French had a complex relationship with vernacular architecture, on the one hand launching campaigns to inventory its riches, and on the other imposing hygienic criteria and effectively modernizing native huts. Square or rectangular plans replaced the traditional circular plan, as they were better suited to supporting the corrugated iron structures that were springing up everywhere. These rectangular or square structures are also better suited to urban structures cut out along geometric lines. In terms of style, the French favored the functional, with simple concrete volumes and sober lines, reminiscent of an Art Deco influence, especially in the calligraphy of the names. The Chamber of Commerce, the Farcha refrigerated abattoir and the Notre-Dame de la Paix Cathedral in Ndjamena are good examples. Metal architecture also developed, as illustrated by the Pont de Chagoua, an 8-beam deck bridge 550 m long. In 1960, while the country was in the process of gaining independence, André Malraux, anxious to maintain France's presence in its former territories, commissioned Le Corbusier to create a cultural center at Fort Lamy (future Ndjamena). Featuring reinforced concrete, gardens, a spiral nave and a museum with unlimited growth, the project had all the master's hallmarks. However, the center was never built, due to excessive costs. Indeed, André Malraux is said to have confused CFA francs with French francs, and thus underestimated the value of the project! Nevertheless, modernism made its entry into the country once independence was proclaimed. An imposing monolith of earth-toned concrete, the Musée National du Tchad is one of the young nation's first major achievements. Another of the capital's landmark buildings is the Palais Rose, headquarters of the President of the Republic, named after the pinkish hue of its façade. Stucco, chandeliers, mirrors and gilding enliven this building of power. After a long period of unrest, accompanied by widespread destruction, the country entered a new phase of development, thanks in particular to the massive influx of oil revenues. To erase the scars of war and curb exponential urban growth, the country has launched major urban planning and construction campaigns, particularly in the capital. Large residential districts with paved roads were built, and new constructions sprang up everywhere. Among the most "imposing" are the ONRTV tower, which dominates the city at 70 m, topped by a white sphere and spire, the International Business City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its 2 buildings linked by a sky bridge, the 2,600 m-long Taiwan Bridge and the Palace of Arts and Culture. The figurehead of this movement is Hayatte Ndiaye, the country's first female architect, who, after presiding over the National Order of Architects of Chad, is now a member of the International Union of Architects. A great recognition for this fervent advocate of a combination of climatic and aesthetic research, the transformation of numerous urban wastelands into green spaces and the limited use of concrete "which only adds heat to heat". A woman of vision who makes us see and think of Chad differently!
