The fishermen of the Gold Coast and Ghana have never known borders. The Anlos (Ewes from Angola, Keta area) have migrated up the coast to Gambia and down to Zaire. Within Ghana they have established settlements outside their home area from Tema, Accra, Winneba to Half Assini. The Efutus and Fantes have also moved to the shores of the Ewes, when the fish they catch moves eastwards. The Ghanaian fishermen with their dug-out canoes with or without outboard motors are expert and courageous fishermen. When they “move with the fish”, they do not interfere with the traditions of the people in whose areas they settle temporarily, they respect the local gods of their new homes. But they bring with them their building methods.
The coastal climate is humid with a steady South-South-westerly sea breeze. Houses are constructed to permit a free flow of air through the entire building. The roofs are built with thatch, in many areas an air space is provided underneath and a ceiling constructed of woven mats and mud. This and wide overhangs of the roof and covered verandahs achieve a marked reduction of solar heat transmission (Fig.105 and Fig.106). Bedrooms of the houses are concentrated on the windward side, the cooking area etc. on the leeward.
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| Fig. 106 |
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| Fig. 105 |
BUILDING OF THE ANLOS
The Anlos do not only fish in the sea, they also fish in the large Keta Lagoon. Along the lagoon they have also started shallot and cash crop farming. In the villages here, for example in Anyako, houses built with wattle and daub and in monolithic mud (Atakpame) can be found next to those built completely in thatch construction. It is this method of building (in Ewe “Klobaxotutu”) which is used by the migrant Anlo fishermen when they build their houses along the coast, where they settle temporarily (Fig.107).
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| Fig. 107 |
The main posts are dug and wedged into the ground 350mm deep. These posts have forked top ends to receive the eaves and ridge beams. Intermittent posts are then added. Rafters and purlins are fixed. Thatch is prepared from Imperata Cylindrica. The grass is cut and left to dry for a few days and tied up in bundles afterwards. From these the roof cover is plaited into mats of about 1.80m in length. Thatch is laid in layers from the eaves upwards with two layers “head downwards” under the eaves layer for additional thickness, all other layers are laid “head upwards”. The wall mats are then fixed to the framework with horizontal battens tied over coconut leaf fronds. At the bottom of the wall a small trench is dug of 150mm depth and nearly filled with ash. The plaited wall panels are pushed down into the ash when they are fixed to the framework. The trench is afterwards filled with sand. The horizontal battens are either fixed over the mats from the outside or inside, according to taste, or mats are tied to the framework from both sides so as to create a “cavity wall”.
This wall structure allows a fair amount of ventilation to pass through. In most cases therefore these houses are without window openings. A door opening which can be covered with a thick woven grass mat (these are sometimes also used for the walls) is left between two of the posts.
The floor is made from a slab of 150mm thick wet clay and beaten flat. The sand has been removed to this depth and a layer of ash sprinkled on the ground before the wet mud is laid.
http://www.arcghana.org/architecture_southernghana.htm#6.0
Article and Illustrations:
Schreckenbach, Hannah, and Jackson GK Abankwa. "Construction technology for a tropical developing country." (1983).
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