Enough mud hut slander. Mud huts are not an inherently primitive or lesser form of dwelling. Mud and thatch are just the most practical building materials when you live in a grassland environment that has more dirt and grass than wood or stone.
I think people hear "mud hut" and automatically think "filth and squalor" not just because of racist stereotypes but because it has the word mud in it. We know brick houses are ultimately made out of dried mud, but it's not at the forefront of our minds when we're duscussing them. It's an understandable mistake, but it's worth familiarizing yourself with what mud huts actually look like.
Here's an outside view:
And an inside view:
Images via @iamhamamat on Instagram.
Granted, Hamamat is a weathy shia butter heiress, and therefore, she is presenting a very polished image of this lifestyle that may not reflect the experience of the average African villager, but the very fact that immaculate influencer content is being produced by people who live in mud huts is telling in itself.
Stop talking about rural Africans like they’re cave men.
