This work is an attempt to capture and visualize the origins, meanings, and relationships behind a family compound in Sirigu, northern Ghana. It is an attempt to understand how spiritual influences and site specificities shape the family house, and to look at the compound structure as a cosmos, a reflection, and a manifestation of a way of living.
The historical and cultural background of the Mamprusi people in Guabuliga is very different from that of the Kassena people in Sirigu. The Mamprusi originally migrated from Mali (around the turn of the 15th century) and with time, converted to Christianity and Islam. As a consequence, a lot of traditions and spiritual values were lost. Coming from Burkina Faso, the Kassena are still practicing their animistic traditions and implementing these traditions in their architecture.