Toguna, Dogon people, Mali West Africa, eastern Mali and north-western Burkina Faso are set as the geography of the Dogon country. The extensive Bandiagara escarpment forms a plateau lengthening over 200 Km long, the sandstone cliff lies near the Sahara’s southern edge and weaves an area defining the arid lands to the north from tropical forests farther south. In the lower parts of the escarpment, the Dogon construct tight dwellings organised as clusters of villages harmoniously blending into the hills. These clusters are formed of a series of family compounds, the organisation seems to be informal, constructed on different levels, with a set of cellular structures, each has its program and purpose for the community which inhabits them. The Dogon society's vernacular architecture, for almost a millennium, was moulded by different factors like geology, climate social and historical evolution - architecture and psychology are naturally interrelated. The disposition of the different domestic spaces in a Dogon village, purposively symbolizes an exposed human figure, with the Toguna staged as the highest in the village hierarchy. The Toguna, perceived as a ‘courthouse’, is a place where people of the area come to debate and resolve conflicts. The structure shows multiple posts, in some cases, feature carvings of Dogon histories, some have columns made of locally collected stones with a variety of styles of plastered mud cover. Above them, a thatched roof formed by a series of layered thick mats composed of millet straw. This extensive roof provides a pleasant and cool shaded space with a purposely set low height, serving a function by making it difficult for the average height man to stand while disagreement escalates into a physical dispute. Large-scale villages tend to construct a Toguna for each series of compounds. Adjoining the Toguna an open area is available for communal use for different traditional ceremonies and as a place for children to learn and play. #africanarchitecture #africantypology #adjayeafricaarchitecture #adjayeresearch #africa #dogonarchitecture #mali