The culture of Burkina Faso in West Africa is also called the Burkinabé culture.
Two key elements of culture in Burkina Faso (a country once known as Upper Volta) are its indigenous masks and dancing. The masks used in this region of the western Sahel are made for rites of sacrifice to gods and animal spirits in the villages. Native dance, on the other hand, is employed to demonstrate the villagers’ desire for blessings by the spirits.
Burkina Faso is a small, landlocked West African country which suffers from droughts, flooding, and increasing desertification, overgrazing, soil degradation and deforestation. It has high population growth and the youngest population in the world. BARKA’s work can make a crucial contribution to improve living conditions in Burkina’s Eastern region.
The population consists largely of farmers and pastoralists. 90% of Burkinabe grow their own food to survive and are therefore particularly vulnerable to external shocks such as climate change and market forces that affect food prices. Food insecurity and limited natural resources contribute to poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
History
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Former President Blaise COMPAORE (1987-2014) resigned in late October 2014 following popular protests against his efforts to amend the constitution’s two-term presidential limit. An interim administration organized presidential and legislative elections – held in November 2015 – where Roch Marc Christian KABORE was elected president. The country experienced terrorist attacks in its capital in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and continues to mobilize resources to counter terrorist threats mainly in its northern and eastern regions. It experienced over 100 attacks by violent extremists in the first quarter of 2019.
Burkina Faso Climate
Burkina Faso has three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert (CIA Factbook).
Burkina Faso is located in the Sahel, ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna to the south. Having a semi-arid climate, it stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. The Sahel is one of the regions most affected and first affected by climate change.
Average temperatures across Burkina Faso are expected to rise 1.7 per cent by 2050 and the average annual rainfall is set to fall by 7.3 per cent over the same period.
The Meaning of Burkina Faso
Following a number of military coups, the beloved populist leader Thomas Sankara became president (also through a coup d’etat although a bloodless one) in 1983 and implemented a number of major reforms. changed the name of the country from the Republic of Upper Volta to Burkina Faso. Combining words from Burkina’s two most commonly spoken languages, Morè and Dioula, the words Burkina Faso literally translate to the Land of Upright (or Honest) People.
In calling the nation Burkina Faso, Sankara was hoping to inspire its citizens and politicians to rid themselves of corruption and to foster a greater sense of autonomy from foreign interference and influence. He initiated a number of national campaigns to prevent disease, improve infrastructure and women’s rights. He combatted desertification, poverty and illiteracy. He built schools and hospitals. His agricultural reforms gave more lands to private farmers. This lasted until October 15, 1987 when President Sankara was assassinated along with his 12 cabinet members and key supporters in a bloody coup led by Sankara’s childhood friend, Blaise Compaore who remained in power for 27 years until his authoritarian regime was overthrown by a popular revolution in October, 2014.
