Culture of Burkina Faso
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Theculture of Burkina FasoinWest Africais also called theBurkinabé culture.
Two key elements of culture inBurkina Faso(a country once known asUpper Volta) are its indigenousmasksanddancing.The masks used in this region of the westernSahelare made forritesofsacrificeto gods and animal spirits in the villages. Native dance, on the other hand, is employed to demonstrate the villagers' desire for blessings by the spirits.
Literature[edit]
Literature in Burkina Faso is based on theoral tradition,which remains important.[1]In 1934, duringFrenchoccupation,Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogopublished hisMaximes, pensées et devinettes mossi(Maximes, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), a record of the oral history of theMossi people.[1]The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabé writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such asNazi BoniandRoger Nikiema.[2]The 1960s saw a growth in the number ofplaywrightsbeing published.[1]Since the 1970s, literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published.[3]
Slam poetryis becoming increasingly popular in the country, in part through the work ofMalika Ouattara.[4]
Theatre[edit]
Theatreof Burkina Faso combines traditional Burkinabé performance with thecolonialinfluences and post-colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre. Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks.
Cuisine[edit]
Cuisineof Burkina Faso, typically ofwest Africancuisine, is based aroundstaple foodsofsorghum,millet,rice,maize,peanuts,potatoes,beans,yamsandokra.[5]
Media[edit]
Art[edit]
In addition to several rich traditional artistic heritages among the various peoples, there is also a large artist community in Burkina Faso, especially inOuagadougou.Much of the crafts produced are for the growing tourist industry.Tigoung Nonmawas set up by a group of disabled artisans and sells crafts to provide a sustainable income for disabled artisans in Burkina Faso.[6]
Cinema[edit]
ThePopular TheatreinOuagadougou,the capital ofBurkina Faso,is a center of social and cultural events for the country. Ouagadougou, is a major hub of activity for those involved inAfrican cinema,and hosts aPan-Africanfilm festivalevery year calledFESPACO,the Pan-African film and televisionFestivalof Ouagadougou, which is a world-renowned affair. Culture and art are further displayed atLaongo,an area of exposed granites where artists from the entire world are invited to sculpt on the rock.[7]Idrissa Ouedraogo,probably the most commercially successful African director, is from Burkina Faso.
Music[edit]
Religion[edit]
While exact statistics on religion in Burkina Faso are not available and vary widely, theGovernment of Burkina Fasoestimated in its most recent census (1996) that approximately 60 percent of the population practiceIslam,and that the majority of this group belong to theSunnibranch, while remaining minorities adhere to theShi'abranch, and significant numbers of Sunni Muslims identify with theTijaniyahSufi,orSalafitraditions.[8]Ahmadiyya Islamalso has a large following.[9]The Government also estimated that 24 percent of the population maintainstraditional indigenous beliefs,17 percent practicesRoman Catholicism,and 3 percent are members of variousProtestantdenominations.[8]
Holidays[edit]
| Date | English Name |
|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day |
| January 3 | Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d'État |
| March 8 | International Women's Day |
| May 1 | Labour Day |
| August 4 | Revolution Day |
| August 5 | Independence Day |
| August 15 | Assumption |
| October 15 | Anniversary of the 1987 coup d’état |
| November 1 | All Saints' Day |
| December 11 | Proclamation of the Republic |
| December 25 | Christmas |
References[edit]
- ^abcSalhi, Kamal (1999).Francophone Voices.Intellect Books. p. 37.ISBN1-902454-03-0.
- ^Allan, Tuzyline Jita (1997).Women's Studies Quarterly: Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary.Feminist Press.p. 86.ISBN1-55861-169-X.
- ^Marchais, Julien (9 December 2006).Burkina Faso(in French). Petit Futé. pp. 91–92.ISBN2-7469-1601-0.
- ^"Malika la Slameuse".QG JEUNE(in French). 2018-02-06.Retrieved2021-02-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Oxfam's Cool Planet - Food in Burkina Faso".Oxfam.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-17.Retrieved2008-05-21.
- ^Our partners in Burkina FasoArchived2014-04-07 at theWayback Machine.internationalservice.org.uk
- ^Burkina Faso (2006b). Sculptures de Laongo Burkina Faso Retrieved 04/12/ 2006 from[1]
- ^abInternational Religious Freedom Report 2007: Burkina Faso.United StatesBureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor(September 14, 2007).This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Breach of Faith.Human Rights Watch. June 2005. p. 8.
Estimates of around 20 million would be appropriate
- ^"Burkina Faso Public Holidays 2008".World Travel Guide. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-31.Retrieved2008-06-06.
External links[edit]
- Art and oracle: African art and rituals of divination,an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on art from Burkina Faso
