The Nigerian “Fence Culture

Abstract

A fence is something with which virtually everyone is familiar. In everyday usage, the word is connotative of a barrier or at best, a delimiting phenomenon. More technically, it can be said to be a structure (of varying material options), that clearly defines territorial boundaries and imposes physical restrictions. Historically, landscape fencing is identified with one of the hallmarks of “civilized” existence i.e. animal domestication. In the same context, its property-delineating and security-imposing characteristics are as old as when the instinct to personalise space, on the one hand, and to defend his territorial integrity, on the other, first welled up in man. On the Nigerian scene, within the last thirty years (specifically since after the Civil War), the role of the fence has been undergoing subtle though definite metamorphosis. The fence has moved through the traditional roles, to an architectural “accessory” and, more recently, to a status symbol. In the process, “fence architecture” (an increasingly-important and highly-elaborated aspect of Nigerian architectural practice) has been created. The paper sets out to examine various issues relating to the phenomenon of fencing. The socio-political factors that have introduced a divergence in the generally-accepted roles of fencing vis-à-vis the Nigerian situation, are outlined. A panoramic view of some products of “fence architecture” is also presented. The economic, social and environmental implications of the contemporary practice are discussed, and it is submitted that though this fast-growing architectural culture is generally beneficial, it may account for as much as 20% of project cost.