Burkina Faso, which means "land of the upright/honorable people," is a landlocked African country slightly larger than the size of Colorado. It is bordered by Mali and Niger on the North and Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin on the South. The capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou (pronounced wog-a-doo-goo), translates to "welcome into my home."
Northern Burkina is mostly desert, while southern Burkina (where my village is located) is primarily savannah.
Formerly a French colony, it gained its independence in 1960. It was known simply as Haute-Volta or Upper Volta until 1983 when Thomas Sankara gave the country its present name. Burkina Faso endured a series of military coups after gaining independence until current president Blaise Campaore instituted a multi-party system in 1987.
Currently, approximately 200 volunteers serve in Burkina Faso, primarily in rural areas. Projects include health, environment, and education (both formal and non-formal). All Peace Corps volunteers in Burkina Faso, regardless of their primary assignment, do activities promoting HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention, hygiene, and tree planting.
90% of the Burkinabé engage primarily in subsistence agriculture. Burkina Faso is classified as one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 174th out of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. It is also the poorest country in the world with Peace Corps volunteers.
Formerly a French colony, it gained its independence in 1960. It was known simply as Haute-Volta or Upper Volta until 1983 when Thomas Sankara gave the country its present name. Burkina Faso endured a series of military coups after gaining independence until current president Blaise Campaore instituted a multi-party system in 1987.
Currently, approximately 200 volunteers serve in Burkina Faso, primarily in rural areas. Projects include health, environment, and education (both formal and non-formal). All Peace Corps volunteers in Burkina Faso, regardless of their primary assignment, do activities promoting HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention, hygiene, and tree planting.
90% of the Burkinabé engage primarily in subsistence agriculture. Burkina Faso is classified as one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 174th out of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. It is also the poorest country in the world with Peace Corps volunteers.
The United Nations Development program ranks Burkina Faso as having the lowest literacy rate in the world and the highest number of illiterate girls and women per capita. The discrepancy between the education and literacy levels of girls and boys is striking, with girls' literacy rates being half that of boys'. 66 per cent of children go to primary school. And just 18 per cent continue to secondary school. Burkina Faso also has one of the highest fertility rates in the world, with an average of 6.2 children per woman.
Burkina Faso has more than 60 ethnic groups, but one people, the Mossi, make up more than half of the population. Their language, Mooré, is more widely spoken than French, the country’s official language. It is estimated that only 15 per cent of Burkinabè can speak French.
There is a saying that the Burkinabé are 50% Muslim, 50% Christian, and 100% animist.
Burkina is home to some of the most important cultural events in Africa including the largest arts and crafts fair and the largest and most important African film festival, le Festival Panafricain du Cinema et de la Television d'Ouagadougou (FESPACO), both of which are held biannually.
