Original Traditional Habitat of The Kara Urban Agglomeration: Characteristics of a Deteriorating and Disappearing Heritage

Abstract

The traditional habitat is a model of human and ancient construction of great value, belonging to a given period, which characterizes a people and reflects the history and culture of this people. In Togo, a country in West Africa, and more specifically in the urban area of Kara, the original traditional habitat bears witness to the creativity and ingenuity of the Kabyè people in the design and construction of their habitat. The latter derives from everyday uses and forms of belief. This study identifies and analyses the characteristics of the original traditional habitat of the urban agglomeration of Kara, while showing the level of degradation and disappearance of this heritage. The methodological approach used to arrive at the results is based on field observation, qualitative and quantitative data collection, GPS surveys and sketches of the original traditional buildings in the urban area of Kara. Documentary research, interviews and visits to museums, especially the traditional museum at Yadé, which is a faithful representation of the original habitat in this area, have enabled us to obtain additional information. A total of 471 out of 24 512 households were surveyed and 34 interviews were carried out. This approach shows that the urban area of Kara has a rich traditional architectural heritage expressed in the original traditional dwellings. These are characterised by round huts made of rammed earth or kneaded earth and covered in straw, and are disappearing and deteriorating from the center to outwards. In the town Center, traditional dwellings have completely disappeared, they are in the process of disappearing and deteriorating in the outskirts and they are beginning to deteriorate on the rural outskirts.