ALAFIA
Prize(s):
Honorable Mention 2026 PRODUCT DESIGN / Eco Design
School / University Name:Africa Design School
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Richard DONGBETO
Photo Credit:Richard DONGBETO
Project Location:Concept
Design Status:Concept
Product Description:
« ALAFIA » meaning happiness or peace in the Fon language is a stool inspired by the “Jarre Trouée” (the Pierced Jar), a powerful symbol deeply rooted in the history and culture of Benin, associated with King Ghézo in the 19th century. The myth tells that a pierced jar can only hold water if every citizen joins hands to plug its holes. A message of absolute simplicity about the strength of community in the face of individual fragility. Viewed from the front, the stool forms a « U » the exact silhouette of the jar in cross-section. The perforated circles evoke its holes. The black steel base, geometric and sturdy, represents the hands that support the jar and prevent it from falling. A body in vibrant orange lacquered steel, which captures and reflects light, and a matte black base, solid and structural. ALAFIA serves a dual function as both a stool and storage, designed for domestic spaces, hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues.
« ALAFIA » meaning happiness or peace in the Fon language is a stool inspired by the “Jarre Trouée” (the Pierced Jar), a powerful symbol deeply rooted in the history and culture of Benin, associated with King Ghézo in the 19th century. The myth tells that a pierced jar can only hold water if every citizen joins hands to plug its holes. A message of absolute simplicity about the strength of community in the face of individual fragility. Viewed from the front, the stool forms a « U » the exact silhouette of the jar in cross-section. The perforated circles evoke its holes. The black steel base, geometric and sturdy, represents the hands that support the jar and prevent it from falling. A body in vibrant orange lacquered steel, which captures and reflects light, and a matte black base, solid and structural. ALAFIA serves a dual function as both a stool and storage, designed for domestic spaces, hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues.
Product Innovation / Specification:
ALAFIA goes beyond cultural aesthetics; it is a symbol that serves a function. Every design choice has a specific purpose: the « U » shaped silhouette, the perforations, the basenothing is merely decorative; everything is meaningful. This harmony between meaning and form is what sets it apart. Its lacquered steel structure allows for fabrication through cutting and bending, processes that are locally accessible. For its production, the intention is to work with recycled metal materials: to repurpose what already exists rather than produce something new.
ALAFIA goes beyond cultural aesthetics; it is a symbol that serves a function. Every design choice has a specific purpose: the « U » shaped silhouette, the perforations, the basenothing is merely decorative; everything is meaningful. This harmony between meaning and form is what sets it apart. Its lacquered steel structure allows for fabrication through cutting and bending, processes that are locally accessible. For its production, the intention is to work with recycled metal materials: to repurpose what already exists rather than produce something new.
Product Sustainability Approach:
Steel is a material readily available in Benin at workshops, construction sites, and landfills. It can be recycled without any loss of quality. ALAFIA uses very little of it: its perforations and minimalist design limit the material to what is strictly necessary. And its manufacturing process cutting, bending, and welding does not require industrial equipment that is out of reach.
Steel is a material readily available in Benin at workshops, construction sites, and landfills. It can be recycled without any loss of quality. ALAFIA uses very little of it: its perforations and minimalist design limit the material to what is strictly necessary. And its manufacturing process cutting, bending, and welding does not require industrial equipment that is out of reach.
Local and Regional Impacts of the Product:
ALAFIA anchors a Beninese cultural heritage the “Jarre Trouée”in the present by transforming it into a contemporary design object. It helps raise the profile of Beninese creativity on the international design scene. Its production is conceived locally using recycled materials, with processes accessible to artisans and workshops in Cotonou. It is not an object designed elsewhere and manufactured here. It is an object designed here, to be manufactured here.
ALAFIA anchors a Beninese cultural heritage the “Jarre Trouée”in the present by transforming it into a contemporary design object. It helps raise the profile of Beninese creativity on the international design scene. Its production is conceived locally using recycled materials, with processes accessible to artisans and workshops in Cotonou. It is not an object designed elsewhere and manufactured here. It is an object designed here, to be manufactured here.
Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Richard DONGBETO
