Traditional Xhosa houses

Monday, May 22, 2006 :: Coffee Bay

The houses are made out cow dung & grass bricks and are round for a reason. Apparently, they last much longer than the rectangular ones - up to 10 years. When a house starts disintegrating, the family just builds a new one - since the building materials are readily available. The paint (light green) is made out of local limestone and helps keep houses cool in the summer. The side that faces rain most often is not painted, so that it does not have to be repainted all the time. There are a few houses that are not green - those people just want to be different.