Roofing in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea consists of the mainland region of Río Muni, between Cameroon and Gabon, and the islands of Bioko (with the capital, Malabo) and Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea. It is a humid, rainy equatorial country. Its towns show strong Spanish colonial influence, while the Fang villages of the mainland are organised around the abaá, a communal house at the heart of the settlement. Little has been published specifically on the country's roofs.

Climate and hazards

The climate is equatorial, hot and very humid, with heavy rainfall. Roofs must shed intense rain and resist rot and corrosion; the coastal and island setting brings salt air.

Roofing history

Many buildings in Bata on the mainland are in Spanish colonial style, though not always well maintained, and Malabo's architecture also shows Spanish influence. Malabo combines shantytowns and upper-class neighbourhoods, often close together.

In Fang towns, the abaá is the communal building. In the past, an abaá stood at each end of the settlement and served as a guard house; today it is usually built in the centre. It is built and maintained communally, and is used for official, religious and social purposes: men meet there to take decisions for the community, and it is also used for cooking and celebrations. A carved sacred column (àbòm-àbàà) once stood at its centre, and a hollow-log drum ('nkúú) was used to raise alarms and send messages. Other peoples of the country have equivalent buildings: mwebe (Ndowé), mpa (Bisío), riebapuá or wedja bohôté (Bubi) and vidyil (Fá d'Ambó).

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Abaá: the Fang communal house, its name meaning "house of the word".

Notable roofs

• Spanish colonial buildings of Malabo and Bata.

Local roofing terms

• abaá (Fang): communal "house of the word".
• mwebe (Ndowé), mpa (Bisío), riebapuá (Bubi): equivalent community houses.

Sources and gaps

Village houses: the construction and roofing materials of traditional Fang and Bubi houses were not documented in published sources. No national roof-material figures were found in published sources.

Sources on Equatorial Guinea's roofs are very limited. Roofing materials (for example palm thatch, timber shingles or metal sheet), census data, colonial-era roofing practice, codes and industry: published information is limited.