Burkina Faso’s 50th Anniversary (8/5/2010)

Today was the 50th Anniversary of Burkina Faso’s independence (Burkina’s 4th of July). Interestingly enough, they do not celebrate the anniversary today, but in December… December 11th to be exact. Why, you ask? Good question. The calendar of everything in Burkina, as most West African countries, is based on the seasonal calendar. They only have 2 seasons here- the rainy season and the dry season. During the rainy season, people do not go to school, they do not work at regular jobs, they do not attend meetings… all they do is work in the fields. The school year, which runs October through May, occurs during the dry season. When the rains come, it’s all hands on deck. Their independence day falls in the middle of the rainy season, so they designated a new day, in the dry season, to celebrate their independence each year. Anyway, today, in honor of this, we had a small session on the culture of Burkina, and then all of our LCF’s (Language & Cultural Facilitators), sang the national anthem of Burkina.

For those of you who are curious, here is a small summary of the history of Burkina Faso. In 1895, the country, known at that time as Upper Volta, was attached to the French West African colonies, Afrique Occidentale Franҫaise. In 1932, a decree suppressed the territory and divided it between Niger, Mali, and the Ivory Coast. In 1958, a new constitution was adopted and Maurice Yaméogo became the first Chairman of the Republic. In 1960, he signed an agreement to end colonization in Upper Volta, and on August 5th, there was a proclamation of their independence. Between the years of 1960 and today, the republic experienced all types of government systems, including democracy, dictatorship and autocracy. In 1966, the people of Upper Volta were displeased with Yaméogo’s rule, and he, peacefully, dismissed himself. After this, General Sangoulé Lamizana took power, and ruled until 1980 when there was a coup d’etat. Colonel Saye Zerbo seized power with the help of young army officers. In 1982, there was another coup d’etat, conducted by Thomas Sankara who was previously the Minister of Information. Commandant Dr. Jean Baptiste Ouédraogo was in power from 1982-1983. He currently owns a medical practice in the capital, Ouagadougou. The government had Thomas Sankara arrested because of “difference of opinions.” He was released shortly after with the help of Blaise Compaoré. In 1983, through (yet another) coup d’etat, Thomas Sankara and his newly created National Council of the Revolution took power of the country. In 1984, Sankara changed the name of the country, the national anthem, the flag, and anything else associated with the French colonization. Upper Volta became Burkina Faso (translated to “Country of the Upright People”), and their new moto became, “Fatherland and death, we’ll overcome.” In 1987, Thomas Sankara was murdered and Blaise Compaoré came to power. He was then reelected in 1991, 1998, 2005, and (probably)November 2010.