The Challenges of Earthen Architecture from a Conservation Perspective: St Bartholomew Anglican Church, Wusasa, Nigeria

Abstract

This article is a critical analysis of the conservation of a historic earth building: the Saint Bartholomew’s Church in Nigeria. It presents the conservation actions carried out through the application of conservation principles adapted to local context and contributes to building knowledge regarding building conservation in Africa. The conservation actions consisted of diagnostics, technical interventions and developing guidance for future maintenance of the building. The conservation was carried out between August 2021 and April 2023. A dualistic approach that combines local resources and internationally acceptable conservation practices was employed in the conservation of the church. This approach ensured that the appropriate interventions were carried out on the church building fabric simultaneously with training and knowledge exchange between experts from Nigeria and the UNESCO World Heritage site in Djenne, Bamako, Mali. This article highlights the challenges of conserving earthen architectural conservation in the 21st century and how these challenges can be mitigated through repair and documentation.

Keywords

• community participation
• refurbishment
• rehabilitation
• repair
• training