Fine mixture
This small African nation of 17.3 million people mixes different ethnicities and cultures. About 40% of the population is Mossi, but there are other groups such as the Gurunsis, the Senufo and even the tuaregs (pictured above), a nomadic group that inhabits the Sahara
Bring the dictionary!
The official language is French, but there are other natives as well, such as the more, the dioula and the fulfulde. “Burkina” means “honor” in Moreh and “Fasso” means “earth” in Dioula. Those born there are “burkinabé”, because the suffix “bé”, in Fulfulde, indicates “people”
My kingdom for one…
O horse is part of the Burkinabé imaginary. According to folklore, the country emerged when Princess Yennenga fled her father’s kingdom on horseback. A saying of the Fulani people in the north says that “A horse is your wife, a car your colleague and your best friend”.
hunger versus disgust
More than half of children suffer from malnutrition. An agrochemist created a startup to solve the problem. The suggestion? Eat caterpillars of the shea trees. The animal has a high protein content (63%) and is rich in iron and omega 3
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grouchy neighbor
Another legend says that, after a severe drought, a housewife tried to get water from Lake Bazoule, inhabited by crocodiles. And they allowed it! Today, the village near the lake considers this animal sacred and lives with around 200 of them.
Seventh Art
Burkina Faso produces several films and hosts the most important African festival, Fespaco. In 1990, the drama Tilai won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Today what is popular are comedies and romances, like Notre Etrangere
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the future failed
Inaugurated in 2002, the bizarre Monument to the Martyrs of the Revolution it was supposed to be ground zero for a new neighborhood in the capital, Ouagadougou, which would represent the “future” of the country. Of course the project didn’t catch on
CURIOUS STATISTICS
78.2%* of the population is illiterate
71st position in FIFA ranking
12.5 million* mobile phones
1.39%* of GDP is spent on the military sector
SOURCES Websites unicef, CIA – The World Factbook, BBC, CNTV, Our Africa It is World Bank
* Data from 2012