Typical Homes in Ouagadougou

A typical gate. The upstairs you see is not to this house. It is a new house being built behind this compound.

A typical Burkina privy. You just squat and then there is always a little plastic teapot nearby.

A traditional, classic cooking area. The vast majority of Burkina families cook this way.

A pretty typical living area. These people are not super poor as they have a stuffed couch. As you can see comfort and furniture are a real luxury. Note the buffet and tv.

Today I am posting pictures of the average home in and around Ouaga. I was not out trudging the villages as I was not there on a mission trip but to see our girls. So I spent my time trudging around seeing and doing things as they do. Both Delilah and Stephanie and Rakieta are living in neighborhoods with electricity. However Rakieta's family lives far enough out that there is no electricity there.
Homes are all shapes and sizes and very wealthy people live next door to very poor. Zoning and organizing of communities into business sections and such is not real well developed yet. I would say neighborhoods were developed by tribes or clans as they were originally being settled. Of course over the years things change, but in the beginning groups of people who know or are related to each other tend to develop a neighborhood.
For example, Mam'e lives in an old neighborhood and it is made up of a lot of older people from the Fada region. The houses were all expensive and modern when they were built many years ago, but compared to new homes they are quite simple.
The couple Rakieta lives with are both employed by the government and are solid middle class. Their house, while probably quite fancy when built is now also considered quite simple. In fact, because they live near the airport and that is an area developing into what will be the most western and modern looking area in the city, they have been told the house must be brought up to the new standards or they must move. Mam'e is also very scared that since new houses are being built all around her that are quite large and modern that she will be forced out.
That all being said, let's get to the nuts and bolts of the average Burkinabe compound.
Every house and most businesses have a large concrete or brick wall and tall heavy duty gate. So you see very little from the outside. In fact, the condition of the outside has little bearing on what the inside will look like. I walked through very fancy gates and found myself in very simple, primitive structures and then went through very simple, not well kept gates and found myself in very nice, modern homes.
Once inside the gate, you will usually find lots of green. That is where the trees are, little garden plots, etc. Some families have gardens and others have mostly mango trees and flowers. It is all beautiful.
The homes in and around Ouagadougou are all square or rectangle. Most have metal roofs, but some have the leaves under the metal. Once way out, you will see some of the round houses with roofs of leaves.
Modern homes all have glass windows that can be opened out. They all open up their homes at least part of the day. The simpler homes just have metal shutters that can be opened or closed.
Some homes are laid out in what Americans would call a ranch style. Others are set up to best benefit a particular family. For example, Rakieta's family which is Muslim, has several little 1 and 2 room houses in the compound. They had the least amount of indoor living space I saw, but they had a little more land. They farm more. Not huge amounts as is done out in the countryside, but a decent amount.
Many families keep some livestock. I saw rabbits, donkeys, chickens, turkeys and a horse. No one seems to mind. In fact the chickens all run around in the streets and stuff and just return home at night.
Furniture is hard to come by. I was in 2 homes with what Americans would consider adequate furniture. The first was an American/French family working there. Another was a family who the husband worked for Catholic Relief Services and they also had many western things they brought back from the US. A few families had soft, newer couch sectional things that wrap around rooms. I saw those being sold in one of the market areas, but that would be a major, major purchase and perhaps the only furniture set ever bought.
Beds are woefully inadequate for most. Mam'e said once that they just stack them up like sheeps and that is a pretty accurate description.
Comfort the way we understand it just doesn't exist there. Chairs are hard to come by, let alone wonderful, cushiony comfort. They just deal with it.
We are changing over some furniture here at home and I want so badly to send it over, but there is just no sane way to do it.
I do need to mention how important buffets are to every Burkinabe family. In America we call it a hutch, but let me tell you I wasn't in one house without some kind of buffet. It may have absolutely been in a shambles, but it was there. It is a very important item to them. Cabinets, cupboards and closets are almost nonexistent so that makes the buffet even more important.
At this point the vast majority of Burkinabe have a tv or have access to a tv. Along with cell phones and transportation, they really cherish their tvs. The home I showed you has electricity, but Rakieta's family who has none, also has one. They just use a car battery for power.
lastly, I need to mention lace. They love it. Rich or poor, they all have it. They also like the gaudy stuff my grandma loved as trim on things. Think ugly, dangly things from the darkest corner of the fabric store.
For me the whole experience was amazing and awesome. I was surprised at how much similarity there was to America and equally surprised by the vast differences.