Every House Is A Work Of Art In West Africa’s Breathtaking “Painted Village.”

In Western Africa there is a small landlocked country called Burkina Faso that is home to roughly 19.5 million people. Though this country is extremely poor, it is also one of the most culturally rich countries in its immediate region.

In the 15th century, the Kassena people settled in Burkina Faso and named their village Tiébélé. Since then they have been building their incredible colorful homes known as sukhala. These stunning homes are one-of-a-kind; you definitely will not find them anywhere else!

Built for protection against invaders and the weather, these homes are almost completely windowless. Even the one door into the home is only two feet tall to aid in the home’s purpose.

Burkina Faso is a poor country, even by West African standards, and possibly the poorest in the world. However they are culturally rich, as shown by many things including the Tiébéle village and the Kassena people – one of the oldest ethnic groups that had settled in the territory of Burkina Faso in the 15th century. Tiébélé is known for their unbelievable traditional Gourounsi architecture and elaborately decorated walls of their homes. The home/ wall decoration is an important part of their cultural legacy. An ancient practice, dates back to sixteen century AD, it is always a community project done by the women. The houses are built for protection, whether from the weather or a potential enemy. Walls are over a foot thick and the homes are designed without windows except for a small opening or two to let just enough light in to see. Front doors are purposely only about two feet tall, which keeps the sun out and makes enemies difficult to strike. Post construction, the women decorate the walls using colored mud and white chalk. The motifs and symbols are representative of everyday life or religious belief. The intricate building process, reason for design and decoration itself is mind blowing! ??✨ #ouagadougou #kassena #tiebele #burkinabe #burkinafaso #Africa #magic #architecture #history #knowledge #curious #adventures #keep #your #mind #heart #spirit #open #fit #brain #excited #to #learn #harrypotter #beautiful #world #love #style #donttellmewhywearedifferent #tellmewhywearethesame ?â¤image – source unknown.

A post shared by @whywearethesame on


After the men of the village have used resources found nearby to build the home, the person who is going to live in it waits for two days before moving in. If a lizard does not enter the house during those two days, the house is not considered a good house and is destroyed. Only if a lizard enters the house is it considered a good home.

Incredibly, many of these buildings are not even actual places where people in the village live. Instead many of the structures are mausoleums for their dead.

A post shared by Silvia Foz (@silviafozphoto) on

After the building has been built, the women of the village come together to create the beautiful artwork on the outside of the homes. Using mud and chalk these intricate geometric designs are depictions of everyday life and of their religious practices.

A post shared by valerie_tamine (@valerie_tamine) on

Made it to the painted village of #Tiébélé..!!! a dream come true ✨ #burkinafaso

A post shared by Girl Meets World (@destinationunknown) on

What an incredible sight it would be to view these homes and buildings in person!

Share these photos if you agree!

Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.