Flooding and the Local Vernacular

After breakfast on our first day in Wiaga we had a walking tour of nearby flood affected houses. Wiaga is a small town near Sandema, where we are staying at a Catholic Mission house with Father Isaac Akapata. During the tour Father Isaac explained to us how people were adapting the local vernacular with new building technologies, so as to survive the rains. He showed us where sand is collected during the dry season to be mixed with cement for water resistant foundation blocks. We also saw an area were people would excavate the surface of the ground to gather a darker earth to make lancrate blocks, for higher layers.

We visited a couple of different housing styles, a modern block construction and one in a more traditional style such as that of Mr. Akokorah Angachaab.