Forgive the leaning format!
Cannot seem to master my friend David's computer, but nevertheless need to put this picture up: it is from an exhibition of Djenne architecture at the RIBA in London. Here is the introductory speal:
'Nestled in a weave of gentle waterways, Djenne was once a major centre of West African trade and Islamic scholarship. The town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. Its unique architecture bears testament to a glorious past and today it is a celebrated part of modern Malian identity. Djenne’s masons continue to enjoy a reputation as Africa’s finest builders.'
The curator and photographer is Trevor H.J.Marchand, a social anthropologist at SOAS as well as an architect, whose book'The Masons of Djenne'(Indiana University Press) describes his study time in Djenne when he signed up as a mason's apprentice. I am devouring this book this afternoon in a cozy West London flat, the home of Jeremy and David, the latter my most frequent commentator on this blog.
I am far from Djenne but this book transports me right back: I know many of the people he mentions in these pages. I just missed him- he left in 2005 just as I arrived...And just now there is building going on on the new land even in my absence, when I get back in just over a month I will have a house to live in for the first time, and will no longer have to live in a hotel room.