History of la Francophonie in Burkina Faso by

Before French Arrival

msargu — 2025-09-15 17:16:03 UTC

Current Events

msargu — 2025-09-15 17:16:41 UTC

Burkina Faso: A West African Nation

2025-09-15 17:29:30 UTC

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in West Africa. It shares borders with six neighboring countries: Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the southwest. Covering an area of 274,223 square kilometers (105,878 square miles), Burkina Faso sits in the heart of the West African region, with a mix of savanna and Sahel landscapes.

As of 2024, the estimated population of Burkina Faso is approximately 23.3 million people. The country has a young and growing population, with the majority engaged in agriculture and informal economic activities. Despite facing challenges such as political instability and security threats, Burkina Faso remains a culturally rich nation with diverse ethnic groups and languages.

Approximately 63.8% of the population practices Islam, while 26.3% follows Christianity. The country also includes communities that practice traditional indigenous beliefs. Burkina Faso recognizes four official languages: Mooré, Bissa, Dyula, and Fula, with Mooré being the most widely spoken—it is used by over half of the population.

Originally named the Republic of Upper Volta, the country adopted the name Burkina Faso in 1984 under the leadership of President Thomas Sankara. The new name, meaning "Land of Upright People" in local languages, was part of Sankara’s broader efforts to promote national identity and self-reliance. Citizens of the country are known as Burkinabes.

The capital and largest city of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. It serves as the political, cultural, and economic center of the country. Known for its vibrant music and arts scene, Ouagadougou plays a central role in West African cultural life and hosts major festivals such as FESPACO, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival.

(1915 - 1916): Volta-Bani War

2025-09-19 00:09:19 UTC

The Volta-Bani war occurred against the backdrop of World War I in what would later become the High Volta colony. The French faced a numerical disadvantage against Germany. Thus, it was proposed that individuals from the French colonial empire, especially North and Sub-Saharan Africa, could be used as a reservoir for the French army.

The villages in what is today modern Burkina Faso formed coalitions to rebel against the French recruiters, triggering the Volta-Bani war. The rebellion ended in 1919, during which the French conducted a disarmament campaign and tried the rebel leaders.

This event has strong themes of colonialism - The population was exploited and forced into conflicts occurring in Europe. They were treated as sources of manpower for the French. Another theme tied to this event is identity. The formation of a coalition to fight the French recuiters demonstrated the ability of their community to assert their auatomy against colonialsit French control.

Citation:

Vennes, T. (2017, December 5). Africa’s war: Anti-colonial movements and repression in First World War french West Africa. Active History. https://activehistory.ca/blog/2017/12/05/africas-war-anti-colonial-movements-and-repression-in-first-world-war-french-west-africa/

Early history

2025-09-21 20:16:29 UTC

The earliest known inhabitants of the region now called Burkina Faso include the Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi peoples, who settled the area long before the arrival of centralized states. In the 15th century CE, horse-mounted invaders entered the region from the south and established two major kingdoms: the Gurma in the east and the Mossi in the central regions.

Over time, several Mossi states emerged, with Ouagadougou becoming the most powerful. This kingdom was ruled by an emperor known as the morho naba, or “great lord.” Under his leadership, the Mossi successfully resisted invasions from powerful neighboring empires such as the Songhai and Fulani. Despite their military strength, the Mossi also maintained strong commercial relationships with key West African trading powers, including the Dyula, Hausa, and Asante, positioning themselves as important players in the regional economy.

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The Bobo people

2025-09-21 20:42:48 UTC

The Bobo people established large agricultural villages in the region, likely migrating from an earlier Mande homeland to the north. Their society was organized around independent clans and farming communities. Starting in the 18th century, they were influenced by the trading empire of Watara to the south. The Bobo developed a structured yet relatively egalitarian society, cultivating crops such as millet and sorghum, and practicing polytheistic religions that existed before the arrival of Islam.

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The Lobi people

2025-09-21 21:05:21 UTC

The Lobi people migrated from the Ghana side of the Black Volta (Mouhoun) River in the late 18th century, seeking more suitable land and resources. The name "Lobi" was not documented until the late 19th century, and while the region was known for gold, evidence of pre-colonial mining and trade is limited. The Lobi were known for their traditional animist beliefs, fortress-like homes, and warrior culture, often resisting other groups through warfare and raids, a characteristic that made them difficult for the French to subdue during the colonial era.

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The Gurunsi people

2025-09-21 21:18:48 UTC

According to oral traditions, the Gurunsi people migrated from the western Sudan, passing through the Sahel. Although the exact timing of this migration is uncertain, it is believed that the Gurunsi were settled in their present location in southern Burkina Faso by around 1100 AD.

During the 15th century, following the formation of the Mossi states to the north, Mossi horsemen frequently raided Gurunsi territories in search of slaves. However, they were never able to fully subjugate the Gurunsi, who managed to retain their independence.

Dr. Salif Titamba Lankoandé, in his work Noms de famille (Patronymes) au Burkina Faso, explains that the name "Gurunsi" comes from the Djerma (Zarma) language term "Guru-si," meaning "iron does not penetrate." This phrase became widely associated with the Gurunsi during the Djerma invasions of the late 19th century, when the jihadist leader Babatu recruited local warriors who were believed to be protected by traditional medicines that made them immune to iron weapons. Babatu’s campaigns led to the creation of the Zabarima Emirate in parts of what is now northern Ghana and southern Burkina Faso.

Sources:

Wikipedia (Guinea Pidgin) – Gurunsi People – Pre-colonial history den origins
https://gpe.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurunsi_people
Dr. Salif Titamba Lankoandé, Noms de famille (Patronymes) au Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou: Editions Sankofa, 1997)
Gurunsi
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/gurunsi.html

The Mossi people

2025-09-21 21:29:51 UTC

The Mossi Kingdoms were a dominant political force in pre-colonial Burkina Faso, comprising five major kingdoms: Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, Fada N'gourma, Zondoma, and Boussouma. While each kingdom operated independently in domestic affairs, they shared common family ties, military alliances, and rituals. Their political systems included kings, ministers, and other officials, structured similarly across the kingdoms.

The Mossi excelled in horse mastery, which allowed them to maintain order across their vast territories and build a powerful empire. From the 15th century, they engaged in warfare with powerful neighbors such as the Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, and later the Sokoto Caliphate, while resisting Arab and European slave raids up until the 1800s.

According to oral tradition, the Mossi trace their origin to Princess Yennenga, a warrior daughter of Mamprusi king Naa Gbewaa, and Rialé, a Mandé hunter. Their son, Ouedraogo, is considered the ancestor of the Mossi people.

Though much of Mossi history is preserved orally, historians date their state formation to around the 11th century. The Ouagadougou kingdom, led by the morho naba ("great lord"), became the most powerful, successfully defending against invasions and maintaining trade ties with regional powers such as the Dyula, Hausa, and Asante. Mossi expansion ended in the 19th century with the onset of French colonization.

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After the French Arrival

2025-09-22 17:34:12 UTC

By the 1890s, Burkina Faso was invaded by France that resulted in the territory becoming part of the French colonial empire. During this time, French administrative policies were created for the sole purpose of benefiting France via resource extraction, which lead to increased poverty and underdevelopment of local areas and population. Other changes to Burkina Faso due to European colonization include the exploitation of natural resources, the introduction of new borders and European languages, a change in the education system, and the manipulation of political and economical systems in the pursuit of benefiting the colonizers.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso

https://afrodiscovery.com/country/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-history/the-colonial-legacy-understanding-burkina-fasos-past/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.globalstudies.it/en/the-complex-relationship-between-france-and-burkina-faso-from-the-critical-review-of-colonialism-to-the-unknowns-of-the-present/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

(1983 - 1987): Coupe and Reforms Brought by Thomas Sankara

msargu — 2025-09-22 20:12:52 UTC

Thomas Sankara was a military officer and a proponent of Pan-Africanism. He was the president of Upper Volta in 1983, following a military coup. He held the term until 1987, when he was assassinated during another coup.

Sankara was born in 1949 in the Upper Volta. In the 1970s and 1980s, he underwent military training. During this era, he was exposed to Marxist and anti-colonial ideology.

On August 4, 1983, Sankara led a military coup in the capital, Ouagadougou, after which he was installed as president.

During his term, many of these policies had themes surrounding anti-imperialism, national sovereignty, and anti-colonialism.

His platform focused on “democratic and popular revolution”. He proposed policies concerning the eradication of corruption, reducing environmental degradation, empowering women, and increasing availability of health care and education. He implemented programs that increased literacy, reduced infant mortality, and increased female participation in the government (Ray, n.d.). These reforms demonstrate a kind of self-reliance and national empowerment. The country was no longer dependent on external aid or French colonialist administration for improving the quality of life of its citizens.

One year after his coup, Sankara altered the country's name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso. This specific name translated roughly to Land of the upwright people in Mossi and Dyula, which are the two most spoken languages in the country (Ray, n.d.). One theme surrounding this event would have been national sovereignty and identity. Changing the name of the country is a symbolic gesture of moving away from its French colonist identity. The new country's name symbolizes Burkina Faso's ability to reclaim its culture, language, and independence.

Citation:

Ray, C. (n.d.). Thomas Sankara. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Sankara

Dissolution (1932) and Reconstitution of the Upper Volta

luhuan267 — 2025-09-26 20:47:09 UTC

In 1932, the colony of the Upper Volta was abolished because it was causing financial/economical issues. The territories that were part of the Upper Volta ended up being divided with the colonies of Cote d' lvoire, Niger, and French Sudan. After the second world war, in September 4 1947, the Upper Volta was reestablished, along with the previous borders being restored. By 1958, the colony was reconstituted to become the Repubic of the Upper Volta and after 2 years achieved independence. And 24 years later, the name changed to what we now know as Burkina Faso.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Upper_Volta?utm

(2022): "Traore officially appointed as president of Burkina Faso after coup"

msargu — 2025-09-28 19:45:24 UTC

Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as the president of Burkina Faso after leading a second coup in Burkina Faso. He replaced Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who seized power in January 2022. He fled to Togo after a two-day standoff. The coup was triggered by a seven-year-old jihadist campaign in Burkina Faso, which has claimed thousands of lives, forced 2 million people to flee their homes, and has left a third of the country outside government control. The Economic Community of West African States held meetings with religious leaders, traditional leaders, and Traore.

Anti-French protests erupted. Demonstrators waved Russian flags and shouted slogans including "France get out", "No to ECOWAS interference", and "Long live Russia-Burkina cooperation". There is speculation that Traoré may align himself with Russia at the expense of France (France 24, 2022).

One theme that surrounds this event is colonization. An element that played a role in triggering this event was the speculation that Damiba was supported by France, Burkina Faso's former coloniser. It was believed that he had taken refuge in Kamboinsin, a French base, during the coup (Al Jazeera, 2022). These articles demonstrate that Burkina Faso maintains ties to France, even after achieving independence. France continues to exert significant military and political influence on the country. There is also a shift in alliances within the country to distance themselves away from France. The country hoped to establish connections with Russia. All of these events together can be interpreted as a postcolonial desire for sovereignty.

References:

Al Jazeera. (2022a, October 2). Burkina coup-makers accuse France of supporting counterattack. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/1/burkina-putschists-accuse-france-of-supporting-counterattack

France 24. (2022b, October 6). Traore officially appointed as president of Burkina Faso after Coup. https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20221006-traore-officially-appointed-as-president-of-burkina-faso-after-coup