Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the middle of West
Africa's "hump." It is geographically in the Sahel--the agricultural
region between the Sahara Desert and the coastal rain forests. Most
of central Burkina Faso lies on a savanna plateau, 200 meters-300
meters (650 ft.-1,000 ft.) above sea level, with fields, brush, and
scattered trees. The largest river is the Mouhoun (Black Volta),
which is partially navigable by small craft. Burkina Faso has West
Africa's largest elephant population. Game preserves also are home
to lions, hippos, monkeys, warthogs, and antelope. Infrastructure
and tourism are, however, not well developed. Annual average
rainfall varies from about 100 centimeters (40 in.) in the south to
less than 25 centimeters (10 in.) in the north and northeast, where
hot desert winds accentuate the dryness of the region. The cooler
season, November to February, is pleasantly warm and dry (but
dusty), with cool evenings. March-June can be very hot. In
July-September, the rains bring a 3-month cooler and greener humid
season.
Burkina Faso's 14.84 million people (2007) belong to two major West
African cultural groups--the Voltaic and the Mande (whose common
language is Dioula). The Voltaic Mossi make up about one-half of the
population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to
present-day Burkina Faso from Ghana and established an empire that
lasted more than 800 years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi kingdom
is still led by the Mogho Naba, whose court is in Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated, secular state. Most of
Burkina's people are concentrated in the south and center of the
country, sometimes exceeding 48 per square kilometer (125/sq. mi.).
Hundreds of thousands of Burkinabe migrate to Cote d'Ivoire and
Ghana, many for seasonal agricultural work. These flows of workers
are obviously affected by external events; the September 2002 coup
attempt in Cote d'Ivoire and the ensuing fighting there have meant
that hundreds of thousands of Burkinabe returned to Burkina Faso. A
plurality of Burkinabe are Muslim, but most also adhere to
traditional African religions. The introduction of Islam to Burkina
Faso was initially resisted by the Mossi rulers. Christians, both
Roman Catholics and Protestants, comprise about 25% of the
population, with their largest concentration in urban areas.
Few Burkinabe have had formal education. Schooling is in theory free
and compulsory until the age of 16, but only about 54% of Burkina's
primary school-age children are enrolled in primary school due to
actual costs of school supplies and school fees and to opportunity
costs of sending a child who could earn money for the family to
school. The University of Ouagadougou, founded in 1974, was the
country's first institution of higher education. The Polytechnical
University in Bobo-Dioulasso was opened in 1995. The University of
Koudougou was founded in 2005 to substitute for the former teachers'
training school, Ecole Normale Superieure de Koudougou. |
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Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Burkina Faso was
dominated by the empire-building Mossi. The French arrived and
claimed the area in 1896, but Mossi resistance ended only with the
capture of their capital Ouagadougou in 1901. The colony of Upper
Volta was established in 1919, but it was dismembered and
reconstituted several times until the present borders were
recognized in 1947.
The French administered the area indirectly through Mossi
authorities until independence was achieved on August 5, 1960. The
first President, Maurice Yameogo, amended the constitution soon
after taking office to ban opposition political parties. His
government lasted until 1966, when the first of several military
coups placed Lt. Col. Sangoule Lamizana at the head of a government
of senior army officers. Lamizana remained in power throughout the
1970s, as President of military and then elected governments.
With the support of unions and civil groups, Col. Saye Zerbo
overthrew President Lamizana in 1980. Colonel Zerbo also encountered
resistance from trade unions and was overthrown 2 years later by
Maj. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo and the Council of Popular
Salvation (CSP). Factional infighting developed between moderates in
the CSP and radicals led by Capt. Thomas Sankara, who was appointed
Prime Minister in January 1983, but was subsequently arrested.
Efforts to bring about his release, directed by Capt. Blaise
Compaore, resulted in yet another military coup d'etat, led by
Sankara and Compaore on August 4, 1983.
Sankara established the National Revolutionary Committee with
himself as President and vowed to "mobilize the masses." But the
committee's membership remained secret and was dominated by
Marxist-Leninist military officers. In 1984, Upper Volta changed its
name to Burkina Faso, meaning "the country of honorable people." But
many of the strict security and austerity measures taken by Sankara
provoked resistance. Despite his initial popularity and personal
charisma, Sankara was assassinated in a coup which brought Capt.
Blaise Compaore to power in October 1987.
Compaore pledged to pursue the goals of the revolution but to
"rectify" Sankara's "deviations" from the original aims. In fact,
Compaore reversed most of Sankara's policies and combined the
leftist party he headed with more centrist parties after the 1989
arrest and execution of two colonels who had supported Compaore and
governed with him up to that point. |
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