Round Houses

Location: Mende village of Foindu in the Nongowa Chiefdom, Kenema District, Eastern Province
Date:  circa 1969

I was a frequent visitor to this small village several miles to the south of Kenema and about 1-2 miles off of Dama Road. It was here that our neighbor, Mama Hokey Kemoh, came from. I believe that B.S. Massaquoi (Minister of Parliament- and Kenema Town Council member) had several of his cacao plantations here. It certainly was a hotbed of support for him as many of the house doors had his political posters. 

    On this day I traveled to Foindu with two schoolboys who were my neighbors in Kenema. Both of them - Senesi Edward Lahai (on the left) and Momoh Vandy rented rooms in Kenema from Mama Hokey while attending Holy Trinity Secondary School in Kenema.  My reason for the visit on this day is unclear. I especially liked the round houses in Foindu - a style of building in Mende country that I found unusual. These homes in Foindu were kept up very well, and some were white-washed. On the one on the right an artistic mural can be seen

    

Senensi Edward Lahai and Momoh Vandy
photo © by Chad Finer