Over the past four decades, the majority of communities throughout Nigeria have experienced significant changes in infrastructural development. The conflict between the goals of cultural preservation and the push for modernization has become a serious concern due to the diminishing remnants of heritage, particularly in urban areas, and an increasing abandonment of traditional values by various segments of society.
The extensive demolition policies pursued by various governments in major cities often leave the poor and middle-class dismayed. As a result, housing and living standards have improved, yet each country retains its unique cultural identity, which it is renowned for. African indigenous huts, available in various forms, shapes, and sizes, hold a distinctive connection to African identity and constitute a significant aspect of its cultural heritage.
In Nigeria, cultural heritage encompasses both tangible and intangible aspects. Traditional mud huts have absorbed a wealth of history, experiences, and emotional attachment. Therefore, there is a pressing need to preserve some of these structures and possibly document them digitally, on paper, and physically through the efforts of conservation and preservation organizations.
Just as oral tradition remains treasured as a vital component of African heritage, contributing to its historical narrative, traditional huts have provided secure living spaces for countless Africans and Nigerians. These warm huts have been the setting for original African folktales, fables, and lullabies, where extended families gather each evening to share life events, with elders recounting their life stories to younger generations.
The work of archaeologists remains relevant in the 21st century as they unearth buried histories, yet the preservation of tangible structures like mud huts is equally important. Many mud structures found in northern Nigeria, including fences and palaces, are notably sturdier and more durable than ordinary mud houses or those constructed with stilts. Therefore, the preservation, documentation, and study of these indigenous architectural huts, along with their accompanying designs and motifs, are essential as they represent a historical facet of African heritage.
Residents of communities where traditional living huts remain prevalent tend to be more deeply immersed in their culture and traditions compared to those in urban cities. They actively participate in ceremonies, festivals, and rituals, and have a greater appreciation for tangible cultural heritage compared to their counterparts in developed cities with modern buildings and amenities.
Moreover, within these remaining huts and their surroundings, one can still find historical objects such as staffs of office, title stools, cowries, potsherds, pottery (including pots, cups, and bowls), wooden plates and spoons, mortars, and pestles, in contrast to the prevalence of porcelain and fragile plates, electric blenders, and grinders in modern buildings.
While government decisions or policies may not eradicate indigenous mud huts, which could be perceived as archaic and outdated, to make way for sophisticated modern infrastructures, there is a risk of natural disasters such as wind and floods destroying them. Therefore, to preserve these structures for heritage and historical purposes, both government and conservation bodies in Nigeria and abroad must take steps to safeguard them.
In recent years, the Nigerian Nollywood film industry has been instrumental in preserving and showcasing rural mud huts in the southeast by using them as settings for indigenous movies. Additionally, the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture (MOTNA) at the Jos Museum, established in 1952 by archaeologist Bernard Fagg, houses a collection of traditional architectural structures that exhibit and preserve Nigerian history and culture. Similarly, the University of Nigeria Archaeological Museum in Nsukka also preserves indigenous mud huts within its museum compound. Furthermore, restaurants and recreational centers are rapidly constructing mud huts to attract customers seeking a cultural environment.
These renewed interests in mud huts and natural environments reflect people’s affinity for the natural world, their roots, and their history. This traditional huts holds special place in the minds of most people, regardless of whether they live in it; rural life embodies activities and values that are revered, traditions that are perceived to be entirely distinct from the impertinence and frivolity of urban living.
Therefore, it is imperative for individuals, governments, and non-governmental organizations to preserve, conserve, and protect the remaining structures across the country. The preservation and documentation of these structures are fundamental to Africa’s heritage history.
The emphasis on preserving mud huts in Nigeria is due to their affordability to the people and their retention of basic historical elements and the journey of the people over time. Additionally, despite the comfort of modern buildings, some individuals prefer mud huts for their economical, cooling, and traditional attributes. Recently, some people have begun plastering the bodies of mud huts with cement to prevent rainwater from washing away the mud.
Challenges in the Conservation of Mud Hut
The ongoing transformation of the environment to accommodate new roads, hospitals, schools, and ultra-modern facilities has become a prevailing trend. Indigenous architectural mud huts are often perceived as outdated and unsophisticated, leading to their easy demolition by the government. Development is rapidly encroaching upon villages and towns across the southeast and other regions of Nigeria, with government policies exhibiting little restraint.
Consequently, in addition to mud huts, other cultural objects and sites, including shrines and cultural artifacts, are being destroyed due to the dismissive attitude of the educated elite. There is a deliberate dismantling of huts to replace them with block houses, while modern buildings increasingly feature aluminum zincs and corrugated sheets instead of thatch roofs. Over the course of Africa’s history, numerous changes have occurred in lifestyles, transitioning from relatively simple to increasingly complex.
Conflicts and terrorist activities across the country serve as significant destructive forces eroding mud huts and other historical structures in Nigerian communities. Deliberate acts of violence, property destruction, and arson are rapidly eradicating not only residential areas in rural communities but also lives and properties. While the government focuses on politics, infrastructural development projects, and technological advancements, little attention is paid to preserving the natural environment and restoring history in contemporary Nigeria.
The failure to recognize the value of local monuments and structures and to distinguish between modern facilities and the foundational elements of history remains a significant challenge, contributing to the erosion of cultural heritage in southeast Nigeria. The lack of attention given to indigenous African perspectives on the past or to the role Africans played in shaping global developments, processes, and structures. The traditional writings and symbols adorning the walls of mud huts represent an important aspect of cultural heritage, yet they are increasingly forgotten and rarely practiced in the face of modernization.
The doctrines, persuasion efforts, and visions promoted by postmodernist religious groups in recent times pose a threat to the cultural heritage of communities as they often oppose traditional practices. Indigenous mud houses in southeast Nigeria may be perceived as outdated and belonging to the past, yet they hold the memories and history of the people, serving as primary repositories of cultural messages.
Compounding these challenges are uncontrolled bush burnings, which destroy not only the huts themselves but also the thatch and grasses used in their construction. Essential sleeping materials within these huts, such as mats and bamboo beds, are often crafted by skilled artisans. Bamboo sticks and other structural elements used internally in mud huts are also endangered by bush fires. Additionally, when bamboo materials are destroyed, it impacts local craftsmen who rely on them for building mud huts and thatched roofs.
Therefore, it is commendable that museums, traditional recreational centers, and the Nigerian film industry are showing interest in preserving some of these indigenous mud huts across Igbo land.
