Every Day Is Special: Burkina Faso

Showing posts with label Burkina Faso. Show all posts

December 11 - Proclamation of the Republic in Burkina Faso

Posted on December 11, 2021

This is an update of my post published on December 11, 2010:

On December 11, 1958, the African nation then called the Republic of Upper Volta achieved self-government - although not complete independence from France.

The name Burkina Faso, which was adopted in 1984, means “the land of upright people” in the languages of Moore and Dioula.

The earlier name, Upper Volta, comes from the name of three of the rivers that cross the country: Black Volta, White Volta, and Red Volta.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation located inside the “bulge” of Western Africa. It is fairly flat, and it has seasonal rain-and-flooding and then weather characterized by a hot, dry wind blowing in from the Sahara Desert. It is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Here is a short video about an African film festival that brings about a million visitors to Burkina Faso each year. The narrator tells us that some merchants are able to make more money in one week, selling goods to festival-goers, than many of their countrymen make in TEN YEARS!

Here is a challenging geography worksheet featuring Burkina Faso.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the dedication of a monument to the boll weevil!

Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon's birthday

UNICEF's birthday

International Mountain Day

Physicist Max Born's birthday

Anniversary of the first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis in America

Indiana's statehood day

Kaleidoscope Day

Birthday of the "Father of Bacteriology," Robert Koch

Magnum P.I. Day

Day of the Horse

(Second Saturday of December)

Gingerbread Decorating Day

(Second Saturday in December)

January 3 – Anniversary of a Coup in Burkina Faso

Posted on January 3, 2018

The full name of this public holiday is "Anniversary of the 1966 Upper Voltan Coup d'État."

Let me translate that a bit:

Upper Volta is the old name for Burkina Faso. This landlocked African nation used to be a French colony.

Coup d'état is the term for a sudden, usually violent, illegal change of government. A coup can be the military snatching control of a civilian government, or it can be a well-armed group killing or forcing into exile governmental officials, or it can be the people as a whole rising up and taking over from a corrupt and unpopular government.

On this date in 1966, a general strike began against the harsh and corrupt president of Upper Volta. President Yaméogo had not only made opposing political parties illegal, he had unfairly rigged elections in his favor and had restricted labor unions.

When huge numbers of protesting workers stormed the ruling party's headquarters and the National Assembly, the military turned against the president - they did not follow the president's orders to shoot protesters. Soon, a military leader stepped in and grabbed power for himself.

Unfortunately for the people of Upper Volta - now Burkina Faso - the new leader wasn't that much better than the old. Tragically, since then most governments have been unseated through force rather than from the peaceful transfer of power. Coups, not elections, have tended to be the way rulers got their power.

The current president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, WAS elected, and he is the first non-interim president in half a century to have no ties to the military. Hopefully he will rule his complete legal term, the people will elect his successor, and the nation will continue on a more democratic path!

Check out some of the gorgeous sights of Burkina Faso:

As always, I love these uniquely decorative structures.

As always, I love falling water...water falling...

As always, people are beautiful! Their eyes, their smiles, their styles!

Also on this date:

Anniversary of Alaska's Statehood

Anniversary of Rutherford changing one element into another element

Anniversary of Vi Hart + Khan Academy

The anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci NOT flying

J.R.R. Tolkien Day

Great Day for the Yankees

Anniversary of patent for drinking straws

Anniversary of the founding of the March of Dimes

Plan ahead:

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February holidays
February birthdays
Historical anniversaries in February

August 5 – Independence Day in Burkina Faso

Posted on August 5, 2015

Way back in 2010, I wrote about Burkina Faso's Republic Day.

At that point, the Republic of Burkina Faso wasn't as much of a republic as its name suggested. A republic is a nation in which the power of governance is held by the people and their elected representatives. However, Burkina Faso had at that time a leader who had ousted the former president through military force – what is called a coup d'état. And the new president, Blaise Compaoré ruled non-stop from 1987 until 2014 – that's 27 years of unbroken power!

I'm not positive if there were truly free elections during all these 27 years, but I did read that it was widespread protests, not a peaceful election, that finally drove Compaoré out of office.

Less than a year ago, in October of 2014, demonstrations and riots broke out in protest over changing a law about term limits so that President Compaoré could continue in office. After protestors burned government buildings, Compaoré decided to dissolve the government and declared a state of emergency. He even fled to a neighboring country, Ivory Coast.

But he refused to resign the presidency.

At the end of the month (10/31/14), Compaoré finally bowed to the pressure and resigned. Now there is a transition government, and there are plans for an election this October – actually, on my birthday, October 11, 2015!

By the way...

A scene from the capital

Today is considered Burkina Faso's Independence Day because, on this date in 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta won its full independence from France. Almost exactly 24 years later, the nation changed its name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso.

The name for the people of this nation is Burkinabé.

The capital city, Ouagadougou, means literally “You are welcome here at home with us.”

Here are some wonderful sights to see in Burkina Faso:

The stone tours of Sindou Peaks

Bobo Diolasso Grand Mosque

Hopefully this lake / tower / housing / offices complex is being built. It is called the Tena Tower Project, and it is a really environmentally-forward-thinking design by architect Manuelle Gautrand.