Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou (sometimes spelled "Wagadugu," per its pronunciation) has served as the capital of Burkina Faso since 1960 and has served as the center of power in the region since its inception in the twelfth century CE. Its strategic position in the Sahel (the middle region between the Sahara Desert and the rainforests of West Africa) made Ouagadougou a major nexus of trade and culture during the trans-Saharan trading era and an ideal location for an administrative and cultural center in the modern era. The name Ouagadougou is a French conversion of the city's original name, "Wogodogo." Residents call the city "Ouaga."

Landscape

Ouagadougou is located on a central plateau between the Red and White Volta Rivers in the central-south region of Burkina Faso. Most of the city is built around three major landmarks: the Naaba-Koom to the north of the city, where the historical gate to Ouagadougou is located; the Maison du Peuple in the city center; and Place des Nations-Unies to the east. Historically, the city was built around the Mossi palace to the north, but it was reoriented by the French during its colonial occupation. The administrative center of the city, including the presidential palace, is being rebuilt at Ouaga 2000, a site about 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the current city center.

Because of its elevation and location in the Sahel, Ougadougou's weather tends to be hot and dry. Temperatures during the dry season can climb as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), while lows hover around 19 degrees Celsius (66.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Ouagadougou is most affected by two climactic phenomena: the harmattan, or dry wind that blows across the Sahel, and the monsoon season, which brings rain. During the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the city, along with much of the region, has experienced a series of devastating droughts partially caused by climate change. The dry conditions have forced many rural residents to give up subsistence farming and sell their land.

As one of the major cities of West Africa, Ouagadougou is connected by rail to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and by a highway to Niamey, Niger. Several roads connect the city to other points in the region. Ouagadougou also has an international airport.

People

In 2023, Ouagadougou had a population of approximately 3.204 million people out of a total country population of approximately 22.5 million people. The ethnic make-up of Ouagadougou echoes that of all of Burkina Faso. More than 50 percent of Ouagadougou's residents are from the Mossi ethnic group, while the remaining 50 percent are comprised of smaller groups such as the Senufo, Gurunsi, Fulani, Bobo, and Lobi. Of the approximately 5,000 non-Africans who live in Burkina Faso, almost all live in the Ouagadougou metropolitan area.

More than 63 percent of Ouagadougou's population was Muslim as of 2019; the remaining 37 percent are comprised of various Christian religions as well as practitioners of local animistic religions. Many Ouagadougouans combine animistic practices with Islam and Christianity.

Ouagadougou is well-known for having a bustling nightlife and numerous cultural celebrations throughout the year. During the day, residents may be found relaxing in one of the many cafés in the city.

The administrative and educational language of Ouagadougou is French, though 90 percent of the population speak native languages belonging to the Sudanic family. Formal education is very low in Ouagadougou as it is in most of Burkina Faso—only about 46 percent of the country's population is literate.

Economy

Ouagadougou is one of the poorest cities in the world, and landlocked Burkina Faso is considered one of the world's poorest nations. Cotton and gold are the primary exports, and approximately 90 percent of the country's population is involved in agriculture. Although the economy of Burkina Faso experience increased growth in the early 2000s, the country is highly dependent on world gold and cotton prices.

Much of the city's industry is based in craft exports; Ouagadougou has become a crafts center in Africa and many businesses in the city are oriented towards the production of arts and crafts. Various markets for selling local arts and crafts exist in the city.

Encouraged by the United Nations (UN) and international nonprofit organizations, Ouagadougou has tried to bolster its image as a West African tourist destination. Burkina Faso has been able to establish many internationally-renowned cultural events revolving around African arts, music and culture. In addition, Ouagadougou frequently hosts UN summits and conferences. Eco-tourism in Ouagadougou has also generated revenue and attracted visitors from around the world.

The Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou (Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, or FESPACO) is the largest festival of its kind on the African continent. Filmmakers, critics, and fans from around the world come to Ouagadougou every two years to see the latest in African cinema, television, and video productions.

Le Salon International de L'Artisanat de Ouagadougou (the International Art and Craft Fair of Ouagadougou, or SIAO) is also held every two years; its schedule alternates with that of FESPACO. It is one of Africa's most important trade shows.

The Festival International de Theatre et de Marionnettes de Ouagadougou (International Theatre and Marionette Festival of Ouagadougou, or FITMO) is also biannual, and sponsors workshops and performances of West African theater and puppetry, often in conjunction with European performances. Ouagadougou also serves as Burkina Faso's export center, and thus handles most of the country's exports of cotton, sorghum and millet.

Landmarks

Attractions in Ouagadougou include the Parc Urbain Bangr-Weogo, a former Mossi compound used for ceremonies, and the National Museum, which holds a number of artifacts relevant to Burkina Faso's history and culture. L'Unité Pédagogique is a zoological park and museum area. Le Grande Marche is the central market of Ouagadougou, where tourists can buy any number of arts and crafts. The market was destroyed by a fire in 2003, but the surrounding area is still a home to numerous vendors. The Place des Nations Unies (United Nations Plaza) is also located in Ouagadougou.

History

What is now Burkina Faso was once divided into a series of small, ethnically based kingdoms. Tengkodogo, Yatenga, and Gourma became the primary kingdoms in the east, and the Mossi, who are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, are situated in the west. During the twelfth century, the Mossi seized most of the territory in the western part of Burkina Faso. When the Mossi, under the banner of King Naaba-Wubri, overtook the state of Kumbee-Tenga, home of the Yonyonese and Ninsi peoples, they renamed it Wogodogo, meaning "a place for those who deserve honor and respect." The location of Wogodogo was excellent for agriculture and trading, so Naaba-Wubri also decided to make it his capital, and the city served as the capital of the region for five hundred years. Naaba-Wubri is known as the father of Ouagadougou.

The Mossi were able to successfully repel attempts by the Mali and Songhai Empires to take control of the area from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, and they remained in power after the trans-Saharan trade diminished in the seventeenth century. Not until the nineteenth century, with the arrival of the French, was the Mossi's power in Ouagadougou extinguished: The city was taken by force in 1896, then annexed to several other seized territories in 1897. Ouagadougou lost prominence as Burkina Faso (or, Upper Volta as it was then known) was spilt and redrawn several times during the colonial period; its contemporary borders were established in 1947, when Ouagadougou was made the territory's central city. When Burkina Faso won its independence from France in 1960, Ouagadougou became the nation's capital. In January 1966, members of the country's military staged a coup and replaced Marice Yamépgo, the independent country's first president, with a military dictatorship. General Sangoulé Lamizana served as Upper Volta's president until 1980. The country's name was changed to Burkina Faso in 1984.

Ouagadougou has seen several incidents of unrest and violence in the 2010s. In 2014, when an attempt was made to remove presidential term limits so that then president Blaise Compaoré could run again, a series of demonstrations and riots began in Ouagadougou and then spread to two of the country's other major cities, Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouahigouya. Ultimately, the parliament was dissolved (with an interim parliament put into place until elections could be held the following year) and Compaoré fled the country.

In 2016, gunmen opened fire on the patrons of a restaurant and hotel in downtown Ouagadougou, killing thirty people and wounding at least fifty-six. Al-Qaeda and Al-Mourabitoun, another Islamist militant organization, claimed responsibility for the attack. Another attack was carried out on a different Ouagadougou restaurant and hotel in 2017, killing eighteen civilians. In 2018, sixteen people died and eighty people were wounded when gunmen attacked the French embassy in Ouagadougou.

Bibliography

"Burkina Faso." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.

"Burkina Faso, West Africa's Linchpin, Is Losing Its War on Terror." The Economist, 13 Dec. 2018, www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/12/13/burkina-faso-west-africas-linchpin-is-losing-its-war-on-terror. Accessed Wilberforce Colony.

Ekine, Sokari, and Firoze Manji. African Awakening: The Emerging Revolutions. Pambazuka, 2012.

Gates, Henry Louis. Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513–2008. Knopf: 2011.

Hall, Bruce S. A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600–1960.

Reinhard, Wolfgang, and Kate Sturge. A Short History of Colonialism. Manchester UP, 2011.

Thomas, Martin. The French Colonial Mind. U of Nebraska P, 2011.