Burkina Faso

A small, landlocked country in Western Africa, Burkina Faso is one of the least developed countries in the world. Once known as Upper Volta, Burkina Faso became a parliamentary republic when it gained independence from France in 1960. Decades of political and economic unrest in the region have caused many Burkinabe to leave the country. Despite harsh conditions, the overwhelming majority of the remaining population engages in subsistence agriculture in order to survive.

General Information

• Former name(s): Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta
• Region: Africa
• Nationality: Burkinabe (singular and plural) (noun), Burkinabe (adjective)
• Official language: French
• Population: 22,489,126 (2023 est.)
• Population growth: 2.46% (2023 est.)
• Currency (money): West African CFA franc
• Land area: 273,800 sq km (105,715 sq miles)
• Water area: 400 sq km (154 sq miles)
• Time zone: UTC +0
• Capital: Ouagadougou
• Flag: The flag of Burkina Faso shares the colors of its African neighbors’ flags, featuring two equal horizontal stripes of red (top) and green (bottom) with a central golden star. The green is said to symbolize the country’s riches; the red stands for revolution; and the gold star is the guiding star of revolution.
• Motto: Unité, Progrès, Justice” (Unity, Progress, Justice)
• Independence: August 5, 1960 (from France)
• Government type: presidential republic
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal system: civil law based on the French model and customary law; in mid-2019, the National Assembly amended the penal code
• National anthem: "Le Ditanye" (Anthem of Victory), by Thomas Sankara
• National holiday: Republic Day, December 11 (1958)
• Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Although people of Burkina Faso are known by the generic term "Burkinabe," each falls into one of two significant West African cultural groups: the Gur (formerly Voltaic) or the Mandé.

Accounting for an estimated 52 percent of the population in 2010, the Mossi are the most prominent ethnic group in Burkina Faso. They speak Mooré, a member of the Gur language family, and are mostly farmers. The Gurma (7 percent), Bobo (4.9 percent of the population), Lobi (2.4 percent), Gurunsi (4.6 percent), and Senufo (4.5 percent) peoples are also part of the Gur group. The Mandé peoples, who speak Dioula (also spelled Diula, Dyula, or Jula) and are also predominantly farmers, include the Fulani (8.4 percent), the Bissa (3.7 percent), the Dioula (0.8 percent), the Marka, and the Samo. The majority of Burkinabe speak French in addition to their culture's native tongue.

Agricultural workers from all cultural groups frequently immigrate to the adjoining countries of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in order to obtain seasonal work. This is essential to their survival, since it is difficult to find work in Burkina Faso due to frequent droughts.

Both Islam and Christianity have left their mark on Burkina Faso, but they exist alongside traditional beliefs. Although the Mossi rulers first fought against the introduction of Islam, it is now the dominant religion of the country, with 63.2 percent of the population identifying as Muslim. Catholics account for 24.6 percent of the population, and Protestants for another 6.9 percent (2017–8 est.).

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. It ranked 184 out of 191 nations on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index. It is a young country, with a median age of 17.9 years (2020 est.). Average life expectancy in Burkina Faso is 61.99 years for men and 65.72 years for women (2023 est.).

Compared to most other African countries, Burkina Faso is densely populated, with roughly 81 people per square kilometer in 2021, according to the World Bank. Large families are common; the average Burkinabe woman bears more than five children.

Most Burkinabe reside in rural areas in the south and central parts of the country. The capital city of Ouagadougou (also known as "Ouaga") had an estimated population of 3.204 million in 2023. The city's name means "you are welcome here at home with us" in the Mooré language. The other major city, Bobo-Dioulasso, had an estimated 1.129 million people in 2023.

Native People: There are sixty-three Indigenous cultures in Burkina Faso. The most prominent are the Mossi, Mandé, Bobo, Lobi, Fulani, Gurunsi, and Senufo.

Since they account for more than half the population of Burkina Faso, the Mossi are the most powerful and influential ethnic group. Before the French settled the country in the late 1800s, the Mossi were the undisputed rulers. Their roots in the country can be traced back to the tenth century. The Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi were established in Burkina Faso even before the Mossi arrived.

The Mossi have a complex hierarchy. Their emperor, known as the Moro Naba, resides in the capital city of Ouagadougou, along with the republic's president and prime minister. In each region of Mossi territory, a chief (Naba) is chosen from the ruling class (Nakomse). These chiefs tax the citizens in their region and give a portion of that money to their emperor. The ethnic traditions and modern republic manage to coexist peacefully.

Education: By law, children in Burkina Faso are required to attend school until the age of sixteen, through primary school (grades 1 through 6) and lower secondary school (grades 7 through 10). However, most children in the country do not complete that much education; in 2020, the average student in Burkina Faso completed nine years of schooling. Although schooling is free in principle through the end of lower secondary, many families cannot afford to buy school supplies and choose to send their children to work instead. The average literacy rate was 46 percent (54.5 percent among men, and 37.8 percent among women) in 2021.

The University of Ouagadougou was Burkina's first university. It opened in 1974. The other two public institutions of higher learning are the Bobo-Dioulasso Polytechnic University and the Koudougou École Normale Supérieure (or University of Koudougou). In the 2010–11 school year, the University of Ouagadougou had forty thousand students, which was more than 80 percent of all university students in the country. The University of Koudougou, Burkina Faso's second-largest institution of higher learning, had only 5,400 students that year. There are several small private universities in Burkina Faso as well.

Health Care: Access to health care is extremely limited in the rural areas of Burkina Faso, despite the fact that the majority of the population lives there. The infant mortality rate is 49.17 deaths for every 1,000 live births (2023 estimate), which represents a slight drop from the 2022 infant mortality rate.

Major infectious diseases include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis, meningococcal meningitis, and rabies.

The country experienced outbreaks of meningitis in 1996, 2001–4, 2006–7, 2012, and 2019. Together, these nearly epidemic occurrences killed thousands of people.

Food: Local crops such as sorghum, millet, rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams, and okra make up the majority of the Burkinabe diet. Sauces are a common part of meals and are often flavored with néré seeds. Sauces are usually poured over rice or a thick porridge called tô. Meat is not available to most Burkinabe; however, rat meat is considered a delicacy in some parts of the country.

Dôlo is a popular alcoholic beverage, similar to beer, which is brewed from millet flour. The local soft drink is a sweetened blend of millet flour and flavored water called zoomkoom ("flour water" in the Mooré language).

Arts & Entertainment: Music is a major part of life for all Burkinabe. Each of the cultural groups has its own kind of folk music. The Mossi keep the tradition of ancient courtly music. Georges Ouedraogo is a well-known traditional musician who sings in the Mooré language. His songs often deal with social issues. The Fulbe use their voices as instruments, punctuated with clapping percussion. The Mandé are known for their use of the kora, a harp-lute instrument. Anther traditional instruments associated with Burkinabe or West African folk music is the balafon, similar to a xylophone.

There are several major festivals which take place in Burkina Faso's larger cities. Fespaco, the Pan-African Cinema and Television Festival, takes place in Ouagadougou during odd-numbered years. Similar to the Cannes Film Festival or the Sundance Film Festival, the purpose of this festival is to introduce talented West African film makers to a larger audience. In fact, winners of the Fespaco Film Festival have gone on to exhibit their works in the Cannes Film Festival.

Another major cultural event is the International Arts and Crafts Show of Ouagadougou. Known as the SIAO, the show is recognized as the largest showcase of arts and crafts in all of Africa. Some of the traditional crafts displayed in this show include basket making, weaving, pottery, and leather crafts using local materials such as copper, silver, leather, clay, gold, straw, and cotton. Masks, figures, and dolls are also common crafts in Burkina Faso.

In the second largest city of Bobo-Dioulasso, home to the Bobo people, the main attraction during even-numbered years is a week-long celebration called the Semaine Nationale de la Culture ("National Week of Culture"). Ethnic music, drama, and dance are central to the week's festivities.

Holidays: Burkina Faso celebrates a number of Islamic and Christian religious holidays, including Ramadan and Christmas. Independence Day is August 5, celebrating the break from France in 1960. This day is also known as National Day or the Anniversary of the Revolution. The Proclamation of the Republic is commemorated on December 11.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Burkina Faso is a completely landlocked country, bordered by Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo. There are three major rivers; the Black, Red, and White Voltas, which run through the center of the country. The largest river is the Black Volta, also known as the Mouhoun.

There are several different types of terrain throughout Burkina Faso. The Sahel, between the Sahara and the coastal rainforests, lies in the north of the country. The most fertile farmland is found in wooded savanna to the south, while central Burkina Faso is mostly flat savanna. There are several hills in the west, the highest of which is Mount Tenakourou (762 meters/2,500 feet), on the border of Mali.

Natural Resources: Burkina Faso's limited natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble, and phosphate. The country has rich deposits of gold and silver, but has insufficient resources to fully exploit them.

Since most Burkinabe are farmers, the greatest threats to the Burkinabe way of life are the frequent droughts, deforestation, and overgrazing, all of which make farming difficult. Because of these environmental problems, many men seek work in neighboring countries, leaving their families behind to attempt to cultivate the land.

Plants & Animals: Most of Burkina Faso is thinly covered with short grasses, scrub brush, and small trees. There are small forests of fruit trees in the southern and central parts of the country.

There are a number of game preserves which offer sanctuary for a variety of typical African animals such as elephants, lions, hippos, monkeys, warthogs, African buffaloes, and antelope. Crocodiles and caimans are also common.

Climate: Burkina Faso is a tropical country with distinct dry and rainy seasons. The weather is coolest during the dry months between November and February. In the north, the dry season is brings hot, dry desert winds, known as the harmattan. March through June is the hottest time of year.

From July to September, the rainy season brings cooler temperatures of 29° Celsius (85° Fahrenheit) during the day and 16° Celsius (60° Fahrenheit) at night, although there is also an increase in humidity. Average annual rainfall is between 25 and 100 centimeters (10 and 40 inches).

Economy

Most Burkinabe live in extreme poverty. About 41 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 2018. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$48.175 billion in 2021, or US$2,200 per capita. Burkina Faso relies on other countries for a substantial amount of economic aid.

Because of the country's few natural resources, little industry, and reliance on agriculture, natural disasters such as drought frequently threaten the livelihoods of many Burkinabe.

Burkina Faso mainly trades with its neighboring nations. However, political instability in many of these countries severely limits Burkina's opportunities for trade. In 2002–3, for example, the country's border with Côte d'Ivoire was closed completely. From January 2022 to October 2022, the country's land borders were closed once again in the aftermath of a military coup d'état that overthrew the government.

Industry: Burkina Faso's industrial infrastructure is continuing to develop. By the late 2010s, industry accounted for nearly a quarter of the country's GDP. Industrial activities include mining (mostly for gold) as well as the manufacture of cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, and textiles.

Agriculture: Approximately 90 percent of Burkina Faso's labor force is engaged in agriculture (2000 est.), mostly at the subsistence level. Agriculture is the main source of goods for export.

Cotton is the chief crop; elevations in the country’s GDP are often directly related to increasing cotton prices. Other crops include millet, sorghum, rice, livestock, peanuts, shea nuts, maize. These crops are chosen because they need little water to survive, as drought is a continuing problem throughout the country.

The Burkinabe government is seeking to export cotton and other crops to more nations outside of Africa, including the European Union and Taiwan, in the hopes that a wider market might bring higher prices.

Tourism: Tourism is not a well-developed industry in Burkina Faso. However, the Burkinabe are known for their hospitality, and there is much to see in the country.

Burkina Faso offers plenty of opportunities for hiking and biking, with or without guides. Visitors can go on safari and watch the wildlife in the country's many national parks, including Arly National Park, Park of Pô (Kaboré Tembi National Park), Nazinga Game Reserve, Deux-Balé conservation forest, and Hippopotami Lake.

Museums showcasing Burkinabe art include the Musée de la Musique de Ouagadougou, the Musée de la Bendrologie à Manega, the Musée du Kadiogo, the Musée du Poni, and the Musée du Houet. The country's most popular attraction is the biennial Fespaco, or the Pan-African Cinema and Television Festival.

Government

Since gaining its independence from France in 1960, the Burkina government has been a parliamentary republic. The executive branch includes a president, who acts as chief of state, and a prime minister, who acts as head of government. The members of the cabinet, called the Council of Ministers, are determined by the president with help from the prime minister. The president is voted into office for a term of five years and may only be reelected once; the prime minister is appointed by the president, subject to the approval of the National Assembly.

The legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly. The 127 members of the assembly are directly elected by proportional representation to five-year terms. The Economic and Social Council (CES) receives bills in the process of being developed and offers advice on these potential new laws.

Burkina Faso's legislature and judiciary are overtly controlled by the executive branch, making the checks-and-balances system ineffective.

Every five years, the president appoints a mediator, whose decisions are independent from the rest of the government. The mediator is empowered to intercede with private disputes, whether among citizens or agencies.

On October 30–31, 2014, thousands of protesters successfully demonstrated against President Blaise Compaoré and his attempt to change the constitution to allow him to run for a fifth presidential term. In the face of the protests, which became known as the People's Uprising, he stepped down after twenty-seven years in power and a transitional government was put in place. The following year, members of the presidential guard still loyal to Compaoré attempted a coup against the interim government ahead of elections, but were stopped by other west African nations. President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was elected in November 2015.

In the early 2020s, further instability rocked Burkina Faso, and resulted in the reestablishment of an autocratic government. In response to years of increasingly violent attacks by Islamic militants, which caused 2,000 deaths in 2021 alone, protests against President Kaboré's government intensified in late 2021. On January 24, 2022, the military stormed Kaboré's residence and overthrew Burkina Faso's democratically elected government. After suspending the country's constitution, the military announced a new government under the leadership of Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a longtime veteran of Burkina Faso's armed forces. This successful coup d'état strained diplomatic relations and led to the country's suspension from the African Union. In September 2022, Damiba was deposed by army captian Ibrahim Traore, who became the transition president at that time. The transition government announced plans to hold a democratic election in 2024.

Interesting Facts

• The name Burkina Faso means "land of the incorruptible," "land of the honorable men," or "country of integrity," depending on the translation. The name is a combination of the Mooré and Gur languages and was chosen in an attempt to keep peace between ethnic groups.
• Burkina Faso can claim the largest number of moped users on the continent.
• Burkina Faso has the largest elephant population in West Africa.
• The national football team is known as "the Stallions" in honor of the horse of the warrior princess Yennenga, who according to legend was the mother of the Mossi people.

Bibliography

"Burkina Faso Country Profile." BBC News, 21 July 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13072774. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

"Burkina Faso." Education Policy and Data Center, FHI 360, 18 June 2018, www.epdc.org/country/burkinafaso. Accessed 22 July 2019.

"Burkina Faso." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 6 Nov. 2023, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. "Burkina Faso." World Statistics Pocketbook, series V, no. 40, United Nations, 2016, p. 34, mdgs.un.org/unsd/publications/pocketbook/files/world-stats-pocketbook-2016.pdf. Accessed 22 July 2016.

Rupley, Lawrence, et al. Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso. 3rd ed., Scarecrow, 2013.

Walsh, Declan. "Military Takes Power in West African Nation of Burkina Faso." The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/world/africa/burkina-faso-military-coup.html. Accessed 26 May 2022.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 2022, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.