Women’s role in society is based on an unequal historical construction driven by men. However, both women and men are equally paramount in terms of collective survival. Female fertility also symbolizes the fertility of a people, whose biological cycles are associated with the natural cycles of the Earth. The nature, materialized by the Casamance river, which permeates the Tanaff valley, is an element of fertility, since it is an important inducer of socioeconomic development in this village. The river’s flowing waters signify hope, which is embodied in outcomes from the fields, nurtured, to a greater proportion, by the hands of women.
Inspired by the nature of women, associated with the natural dynamics of the Casamance River, the project pursues the idea of bringing a Social River to the center of Tanaf. Therefore, the building seeks to embrace encounters between diverse folks through cultural exchanges and knowledge cultivation. This Social River, embodied in the Women’s House, symbolizes a place of welcome, development and empowerment, given its ability to support women who have suffered some kind of violence, to train women for the job market and to stimulate debates about gender equity. While the Casamance River tears through the natural landscape, this building seeks to disrupt the local political landscape built by a patriarchal and macho society. This house opens space for women’s insertion in the political, administrative and economic sectors, or any other space where they want to occupy. Moreover, its organic and sinuous shape creates environments that favor the democratic gathering of female diversity and, at the same time, unveils, through its curves, the rise of gender equity in the region.
