Union
Burkina is a word that means integrity in the Mòoré language. Faso, in Dioula, means father’s house. The union of the two terms, Burkina Faso, gives the country its name: home of people of integrity. It was chosen by Thomas Sankara, the nation’s beloved president from 1983 to his death in 1987, to symbolically unite two of the most widely spoken languages and forever rid the country of its French colonial toponym Upper Volta.
Three traditional huts (2014)
by Ibrahim Kiemde Loketo and Assistants
In a historic speech to the UN General Assembly in 1984, Sankara strongly expressed the need to grow democracy in society, to teach the sense of collective responsibility, to dare to invent the future. He said it with the hope and conviction of being able to establish a new, worthy civilization, free from every imposition, in his country as in the rest of the African continent.
Woman (2014) by Jean Severin Ilboudo
Over thirty years later, Burkina Faso is still far from achieving these goals and is undergoing a difficult period of transition, with limited public and private investment and international assistance. Today, it is the second largest producer of cotton in sub-Saharan Africa and the fifth largest gold producer in the region. The two sectors account for 90% of exports, but are not enough to revive the fortunes of a country that lies near the bottom of the rankings of the United Nations Development Index.
Life is beautiful but short (2014)
by Joseph Badolo (Lionba)
The most positive aspect of this challenging period is the strength and participation of civil society in public events. In particular, that of young people, who represent the majority of the population – more than 60% of Burkinabes are in fact under the age of twenty.
Street vendor (2015) by Moussa Guibla
Young men and women, like those of the Balai Citoyen movement (The Civic Broom) launched in 2013 by two musicians, Smockey and Sams’K Le Jah, to invite all citizens of Burkina Faso to clean up their land with integrity. To return to truly democratic governance where “the children of the country” are equal before the law and have the same opportunities for wellbeing. Music, theatre, cinema, artistic expression in general, play a leading role in this troubled process of political and social regeneration.
Water bucket carrier (2014)
by Ousmane Koula
The inhabitants of Burkina Faso, 18 million in an area of 274,000 kilometres in West Africa, descend from a dynasty of emperors who suffered colonization and the slave trade, but managed to defend and preserve their cultural identity.
The roulette (2014)
by Abdulaye Compaure
The country is among the least wealthy in the world, but its inhabitants are known for their optimism and hospitality and, with the few resources at their disposal, have been able to build a culturally sophisticated existence. In Burkina Faso, there are over 200 theatre companies who take their shows right across the country; art penetrates the fabric of society and becomes an integral part of everyday life.
Conversation (2014) by Bolly Aliou
Here theatrical performances are also a vehicle for information and social prevention. They provide opportunities to talk about topics such as hygiene, health, rights and responsibilities, even the medicinal use of botanicals. Theatre is performed everywhere: under the baobab trees that cool the villages, on the red dust of the squares, or in the most important auditorium (with 300 seats and a true theatre season) of the capital Ouagadougou, which cycling fans will remember as the place where Fausto Coppi raced his last race before contracting malaria.
Beading (2014) by Daphne Serelle
Every year in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second city and cultural capital of the country, the Yeleen Festival is held, a destination for every griot, storyteller, of West Africa. Biennially, the FESPACO is held in Ouagadougou, the Pan African Film Festival celebrating excellence in African filmmaking since 1969. In addition to rewarding the best movies, actors and directors, the festival aims to promote cinema as a tool to awaken the consciousness of the African peoples. And in Burkina Faso film culture is widespread: in fact, in the capital, in addition to a number of large cinemas, many districts operate movie screens and a hundred or so mini-cinemas that work with just a TV and a DVD player.
Education (2014)
by Flore Kabore (Flore)
In this scenario of cultural dynamism, the Imago Mundi collection can be seen as an effective showcase of contemporary painting and plastic art, which – as Prosper Tiendrebeogo, Knight of the Ordre du Mérite des Arts, des Lettres et de la Communication, highlights in his introduction to this catalogue – in Burkina Faso cannot yet count on “training centers, quality exhibition spaces and bold policies of public support”.
The storm (2014)
by Eleonore Sagnon
Thanks to this surprising collection of 140 10x12 cm works, Burkinabe artists can achieve international visibility and raise awareness of talents and creativity that descend directly from their past. From decorative traditions like those of the ancient Kassena people, in whose villages, on the border with Ghana, the houses in mud and earth are decorated by women with images of everyday life and symbols of religious inspiration.
Revolution 2 (2014) by Germain Kiemtore and Assistants
The ancestral force and naive grace of the images of Burkina Faso are striking. Together, they compose a colourful mosaic that speaks of hope. Making reference to an old African proverb, Joseph Ki-Zerbo – the great historian and theorist of a united Africa, who was born in Upper Volta in 1922 and died in Ouagadougou in 2006 – liked to say, “a single stick may smoke but it will not burn. [...] We must come together to start a fire. Only then can we give a new colour to the rainbow.”
Luciano Benetton
The song of the night (2014)
by Faysal Amougousou
