Counterstructures and Mission Preservation

 Malaquais argues the this institution of the church by British and French colonizers encouraged the use of architecture and topography by the Bamileke people to highlight hierarchy and power. In “Building the Name of God: Architecture, Resistance and the Christian Faith of Western Cameroon” notes the idea of “counterstructures”— opponents to the existing dominance of a certain culture. This counter need not be violent or even overt, but can be contained within a symbol— such as art or architecture. The counterstructures were created as Christianity took a foothold within the Bamileke plateau of western Cameroon, where both rich and poor utilized subtle approaches of indiscipline and architecture to resist hierarchy. 

The 1900s is when a majority of religious and systemic conflict occurred. The chiefs, mfo or fo where said to be chosen ones of the almighty Si, yet Christianoty did not have a place for this. “Divergent views of the divine realm and its links to rulership” played out, but ultimately a populist movement of untitled men against the chieftaincy supported the institution of Christianity. During the early 1900s land shortages and chiefly concessions to the German and French which sold untitled men to Labor camps, Christianity became a refuge for the downtrodden. Growing birth rates and the culture of the first-born son inheriting all wealth of his father also increased the number of downtrodden. Soon this growing number allowed for the mission’s education system to open to all students (not simply the elite)- leading to rebellion when the opportunities expected after achieving such education never came. 

The Architecture of the chieftaincy at the time attempted to appeased the missions. Malaquais notes that one gate shows a missions leader as well as the Last Supper, while another chiefly compound had a Catholic Church as its entrance. These attempts were distraught as inherent divergences in practice were realized. The evokes against Christinity included more than the shuttering and closing of churches. “Topographic constructs” were symbolic of rank in order to show opposition. Such instances included moving them to discrept land where the dead unfit for burial layed. What was particularly interesting was the placement of church at the highest locations (hilltops) due to the natural of a palace being a low land structure. The systematic relocation program was meant to move these churches to a naturally less sacred ground, though in European culture it would be quite the opposite. Another example is the use of duop a chiefly garment which also was placed on edifices to note the sanctioning by the fo. By placing it on front of the condemned church the fo made it his own again. A counter structure tk this by the Church we’re the designing of architecture even closer to the European style. Newly Catholic Bamileke people also rejected the tsa’s settlement style for the European village style of living side by side. 

A number of Ùlì pattern designs are preserves on paper due to commissions requested by missionaries the British. For example, Image 1 depicts the Ulo design on paper which was commissions by the Scottish Missionary, Agnes Siddons Arnot around the 1930-40s. 

The depiction of this image in particular is percukary. The human body was drawn by the missionaries and its pale skin is thought to have been due to the need to express the colors more vibrantly or a camwood wash allied to the body before use. 

I’m all, the missionary forces typically strive to preserve the designs via drawings on paper, cloth or photography. This distinctly opposed the ephemeral nature of the curvilinear forms- only lasting a week on the body, or during the dry season on a clay building. The increase in Christianity also discouraged the Ùlì designs which represented social-cultural and Igbo religious values. This transition into embroidery and needlework has virtually replaced the practice of the Igbo people. 

Image 1.

https://re-entanglements.net/uli/

http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/temporary-body-arts/body-painting/196-uli-designs.html