Social responsability / 7/25/2024

Abdoukhadre Kebe mosque in Kaolack, Senegal

Preserving Senegal’s architectural heritage with a project coordinated by Mountaga Aidara Kebe, a Mapei employee working at the manufacturing plant in Robbiano di Mediglia (Italy)

Interviewee

Mountaga Aidara Kebe

Production operator, Adhesives production line, Mapei SpA

The Abdoukhadre Kebe Mosque, located on the outskirts of the city of Kaolack in Senegal, was designed in the 1980’s, but in recent years had started showing signs of deterioration. Mountaga Aidara Kebe, nephew of Abdoukhadre Kebe and an employee of Mapei SpA, coordinated a renovation project which included the use of MAPEFLEX PU 45 FT sealant and AQUAFLEX ROOF PLUS waterproofing membrane.

On the outskirts of Kaolack, the third most populated city in Senegal, there is a mosque sitting in the Darou Ridwane district that was designed in the 1980’s by the Italian-French architect, Ido Ricchetti. It is called Abdoukhadre Kebe Mosque and is particularly striking because of its deep blue cupolas. Because the mosque had been showing signs of deterioration in recent years, Mountaga Aidara Kebe, an employee at the Mapei manufacturing plant in Robbiano di Mediglia (near Milan, Italy) originally from Kaolack and nephew of Abdoukhadre Kebe, coordinated renovation work on the mosque, which included filling cracks with MAPEFLEX PU 45 FT sealant and waterproofing the surfaces at the base of the cupolas with AQUAFLEX ROOF PLUS. The high solar reflectance index (SRI 105) of this product provides a high level of protection against UV rays and heat for the existing waterproofing systems made from distilled bitumen/polymer membranes.

Abdoukhadre Kebe Mosque in Kaolack, Senegal

Work also started recently to waterproof and protect the surfaces of the cupolas with ELASTOCOLOR WATERPROOF, a paint made from acrylic resin in water dispersion particularly suitable for substrates that need to be coated with a protective, elastic finish that is also suitable for direct contact with water. The paint has an attractive, smooth, even finish and, in this case, deep blue was chosen to bring the surfaces of the cupolas back to their original colour. Apart from being resistant to all types of climatic conditions, this paint protects against aggressive smog and direct sunlight and provides long-lasting protection to surfaces.

We interviewed Kebe to learn more about the history of the mosque and the renovation project.