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| Burkina Faso |
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Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a country in Africa that used to be
called Upper Volta. It became independent from
France in 1960. In the 1990's grown-ups in Burkina Faso
got to choose a government, which was a change for
the country. The people in Burkina Faso are very poor.
Click here for teacher resources and printable activities
Burkina Faso is a country in Africa that used to be
called Upper Volta. It became independent from
France in 1960. In the 1990's grown-ups in Burkina Faso
got to choose a government, which was a change for
the country. The people in Burkina Faso are very poor.
Click here for teacher resources and printable activities
Burkina Faso, also Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is
surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to
the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the
south west.
Surface Area:
Burkina Faso is 274,200 square km in size.
Population:
There are about 12,000,000 people living in Burkina Faso.
Located in:
Burkina Faso is located in Western Africa.
Capital City:
The capital city of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou.
Head of State:
Blaise COMPAORE is the President of Burkina Faso.
Prime Minister:
Ernest Paramanga YONLI is the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso.
Independent since:
Burkina Faso has been independent of France since 5 August 1960.
Currency:
The currency in Burkina Faso is the Franc.
Foreign Relations
Holidays
Natural Resources
Culture
Education
Travel Guide
Tourism
Passport and a visa are required to enter the country. You generally should
obtain your visa in advance, although European Union citizens can obtain
visas upon arrival at the airport (10,000 CFA). If you are not from the
European Union, the cost of a 3 month 1 entry visa is 28 300 CFAm and must
be acquired in advance of your journey
Language
French is the official language, however you will find that outside the big
cities, the majority of people do not speak much French. A huge number of
African languages of the Sudanic family are widely spoken. The most
common language is Mooré.
See also: Mooré phrasebook
Currency
As in many West African countries, the currency of Burkina Faso is the
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA). There are 482.10 CFA to 1
US Dollar (As of 2007) and is fixed to the Euro, €1 = 655.957 CFA franc.
Credit cards are rarely accepted, but cash may be withdrawn with a card
at certain banks in Ouaga and Bobo. In general, most bank machines will
only accept VISA cards with a pin number or a CarteBleu. Make sure you
have a pin for your credit card in order to access money from the bank
machines. Mastercard is not widely accepted at ATMs. Travellers' checks
(better luck in euros than in dollars) can usually be cashed at local banks in
Ouaga and Bobo, but with large change fees.
Meals
Any run-of-the-mill Burkinabé restaurant will most certainly have one or all
of the following:
To = a millet or corn flour based jello-like dish served with a sauce. Sauces
commonly are okra-based (fr. "sauce gumbo" - tends to be on the viscous-
side), peanut-based (fr. "sauce arachide"), baobab-leaf-based (not bad
tasting, but very slimy), or sorrel-based (fr. "oseille", another green-leaf, a
little sour). You eat this dish by breaking off some to with a spoon (or, if you
want to go local and your hands are washed, use your finger - just
remember to use always the right hand, as the left hand is considered
"unclean" among Muslims) and dipping it into the sauce. Definitely an an
acquired taste.
FuFu = a pizza-dough-like ball of starch served with a sauce. Made by
pounding boiled ignames (sort of a super-sized version of a yucca-potato
hybrid). The sauce is usually tomato-based. Eaten in the same manner as to.
Ragout d'Igname = boiled igname in a tomatoe sauce.
Riz Gras = Rice made in the sauce. Sometimes served with extra sauce on
top, but not a given.
Riz Sauce (Rice and sauce) = Pretty self-explanatory. White rice usually
served with a tomatoe or peanut sauce.
Spaghetti = Usually spaghetti is served au gras as opposed to spaghetti
sauce.
Haricots verts = Green-beans, usually from a can, with tomato sauce
Petits pois = Green peas, usually from a can, with tomato sauce
Soupe = usually chicken (fr. "poulet"), pentade or fish (fr. poisson)
Salade = a salad of lettuce, tomato, cumcumber and onion with a
mayonnaise-based dressing (mayo, vinegar, salt, pepper)
A Burkina specialty is "Poulet Telévisé" aka televised chicken, or roast
chicken, since many locals say if you watch the roaster it is like watching TV!
Snacks
Beignets = (mooré samsa) fried bean flour
Fried ignames, patate douce (sweet potato french fries)
Alloco = Bbq'd plantains
Brochettes = bbq'd meat sticks, or liver, or tripe, or intestines
Porc au four = baked greasy pork bits served with hot sauce (fr. piment),
salt, and if you are lucky, mustard. Best enjoyed with a Flag (to make
champagne; add some tonic)
Gateau = fried dough. Comes in all sorts of varieties, best when fresh.
Drink
Bisap = hibiscus leaf cold sweet tea (25-50 CFA)
Yamoku, or Gingembre = sweet ginger drink (25-50 CFA)
Toédo, or Pain de singe = sweet, is it baobab fruit ?
Yoghurt = sweet degaï = yoghurt mixed with millet balls
Dolo = millet beer.
surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to
the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the
south west.
Surface Area:
Burkina Faso is 274,200 square km in size.
Population:
There are about 12,000,000 people living in Burkina Faso.
Located in:
Burkina Faso is located in Western Africa.
Capital City:
The capital city of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou.
Head of State:
Blaise COMPAORE is the President of Burkina Faso.
Prime Minister:
Ernest Paramanga YONLI is the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso.
Independent since:
Burkina Faso has been independent of France since 5 August 1960.
Currency:
The currency in Burkina Faso is the Franc.
Foreign Relations
Holidays
Natural Resources
Culture
Education
Travel Guide
Tourism
Passport and a visa are required to enter the country. You generally should
obtain your visa in advance, although European Union citizens can obtain
visas upon arrival at the airport (10,000 CFA). If you are not from the
European Union, the cost of a 3 month 1 entry visa is 28 300 CFAm and must
be acquired in advance of your journey
Language
French is the official language, however you will find that outside the big
cities, the majority of people do not speak much French. A huge number of
African languages of the Sudanic family are widely spoken. The most
common language is Mooré.
See also: Mooré phrasebook
Currency
As in many West African countries, the currency of Burkina Faso is the
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA). There are 482.10 CFA to 1
US Dollar (As of 2007) and is fixed to the Euro, €1 = 655.957 CFA franc.
Credit cards are rarely accepted, but cash may be withdrawn with a card
at certain banks in Ouaga and Bobo. In general, most bank machines will
only accept VISA cards with a pin number or a CarteBleu. Make sure you
have a pin for your credit card in order to access money from the bank
machines. Mastercard is not widely accepted at ATMs. Travellers' checks
(better luck in euros than in dollars) can usually be cashed at local banks in
Ouaga and Bobo, but with large change fees.
Meals
Any run-of-the-mill Burkinabé restaurant will most certainly have one or all
of the following:
To = a millet or corn flour based jello-like dish served with a sauce. Sauces
commonly are okra-based (fr. "sauce gumbo" - tends to be on the viscous-
side), peanut-based (fr. "sauce arachide"), baobab-leaf-based (not bad
tasting, but very slimy), or sorrel-based (fr. "oseille", another green-leaf, a
little sour). You eat this dish by breaking off some to with a spoon (or, if you
want to go local and your hands are washed, use your finger - just
remember to use always the right hand, as the left hand is considered
"unclean" among Muslims) and dipping it into the sauce. Definitely an an
acquired taste.
FuFu = a pizza-dough-like ball of starch served with a sauce. Made by
pounding boiled ignames (sort of a super-sized version of a yucca-potato
hybrid). The sauce is usually tomato-based. Eaten in the same manner as to.
Ragout d'Igname = boiled igname in a tomatoe sauce.
Riz Gras = Rice made in the sauce. Sometimes served with extra sauce on
top, but not a given.
Riz Sauce (Rice and sauce) = Pretty self-explanatory. White rice usually
served with a tomatoe or peanut sauce.
Spaghetti = Usually spaghetti is served au gras as opposed to spaghetti
sauce.
Haricots verts = Green-beans, usually from a can, with tomato sauce
Petits pois = Green peas, usually from a can, with tomato sauce
Soupe = usually chicken (fr. "poulet"), pentade or fish (fr. poisson)
Salade = a salad of lettuce, tomato, cumcumber and onion with a
mayonnaise-based dressing (mayo, vinegar, salt, pepper)
A Burkina specialty is "Poulet Telévisé" aka televised chicken, or roast
chicken, since many locals say if you watch the roaster it is like watching TV!
Snacks
Beignets = (mooré samsa) fried bean flour
Fried ignames, patate douce (sweet potato french fries)
Alloco = Bbq'd plantains
Brochettes = bbq'd meat sticks, or liver, or tripe, or intestines
Porc au four = baked greasy pork bits served with hot sauce (fr. piment),
salt, and if you are lucky, mustard. Best enjoyed with a Flag (to make
champagne; add some tonic)
Gateau = fried dough. Comes in all sorts of varieties, best when fresh.
Drink
Bisap = hibiscus leaf cold sweet tea (25-50 CFA)
Yamoku, or Gingembre = sweet ginger drink (25-50 CFA)
Toédo, or Pain de singe = sweet, is it baobab fruit ?
Yoghurt = sweet degaï = yoghurt mixed with millet balls
Dolo = millet beer.
Sleep
People go on repós at noon until around 3PM. Don't expect to get much done around this time.
Formal businesses are often closed at this time as well.
Learn
Burkina is a great country if you are interested in learning West African drumming.
Work
If you are interested in helping to save lives in Western Africa then Burkina Faso, hit by severe
drought and poverty in the last decade, would be ideal for a charity-holiday. Medical staff are also
sorely needed, so any volunteering doctors would be greeted warmly.
Stay safe
Burkina Faso is one of safer countries in West Africa. There are no special precautions, in terms of
safety, necessarily.
However, be aware of thieves in the big city. Violent assault is rare. Pickpockets and purse snatchers
are something to watch out for in big cities. The common, cheap green taxis in the big city can
sometimes host such thieves. Just hold on to your purse, and keep your money safely tucked away.
You should always take precautions when traveling, but Burkina is a remarkably safe and respectful
country. Women travelers rarely experience any problems. Foreigners, especially white foreigners,
frequently attract significant attention, but the interest is entirely harmless. Indeed, the Burkinabé
will show more patience and friendliness to the foreigner than to another Burkinabé, be it in a small
village or in a big city. There was a violent altercation between military and police in December
2006. Members from involved parties made it a point to advise foreigners on the street that they
should find shelter and stay out of harm's way. The problem was resolved quickly and no foreigners
came to any harm.
Stay healthy
Yellow fever vaccination required. Malaria is a serious problem. Cholera vaccination may be
required in event of outbreak. Meningitis is also a problem, and vaccination is highly suggested.
Respect
You will observe the Burkinabé exchange greetings in what appears to be a shared prayer or ritual.
Literally, all they are saying is "good morning, how's the family, how's work, how's your health..."
Greeting is a very important part of Burkinabé culture, and the only thing you really need to do here
to make an instant friend. Ignoring someone and not greeting them, however, is taken far more
seriously than in many western cultures. It is virtually a slap in the face to ignore someone that has
greeted you, or to not greet at all. Foreigners can probably get away with being "cold" and
"unfriendly" in some settings, but it is a good idea to greet everyone you pass by.
As there is a majority of Muslim people, remember to use always your right hand for eating, greeting,
etc.
However, Burkina is at the same time one of the most open West African countries and people are
in general very respectful to women and any foreigner.
People go on repós at noon until around 3PM. Don't expect to get much done around this time.
Formal businesses are often closed at this time as well.
Learn
Burkina is a great country if you are interested in learning West African drumming.
Work
If you are interested in helping to save lives in Western Africa then Burkina Faso, hit by severe
drought and poverty in the last decade, would be ideal for a charity-holiday. Medical staff are also
sorely needed, so any volunteering doctors would be greeted warmly.
Stay safe
Burkina Faso is one of safer countries in West Africa. There are no special precautions, in terms of
safety, necessarily.
However, be aware of thieves in the big city. Violent assault is rare. Pickpockets and purse snatchers
are something to watch out for in big cities. The common, cheap green taxis in the big city can
sometimes host such thieves. Just hold on to your purse, and keep your money safely tucked away.
You should always take precautions when traveling, but Burkina is a remarkably safe and respectful
country. Women travelers rarely experience any problems. Foreigners, especially white foreigners,
frequently attract significant attention, but the interest is entirely harmless. Indeed, the Burkinabé
will show more patience and friendliness to the foreigner than to another Burkinabé, be it in a small
village or in a big city. There was a violent altercation between military and police in December
2006. Members from involved parties made it a point to advise foreigners on the street that they
should find shelter and stay out of harm's way. The problem was resolved quickly and no foreigners
came to any harm.
Stay healthy
Yellow fever vaccination required. Malaria is a serious problem. Cholera vaccination may be
required in event of outbreak. Meningitis is also a problem, and vaccination is highly suggested.
Respect
You will observe the Burkinabé exchange greetings in what appears to be a shared prayer or ritual.
Literally, all they are saying is "good morning, how's the family, how's work, how's your health..."
Greeting is a very important part of Burkinabé culture, and the only thing you really need to do here
to make an instant friend. Ignoring someone and not greeting them, however, is taken far more
seriously than in many western cultures. It is virtually a slap in the face to ignore someone that has
greeted you, or to not greet at all. Foreigners can probably get away with being "cold" and
"unfriendly" in some settings, but it is a good idea to greet everyone you pass by.
As there is a majority of Muslim people, remember to use always your right hand for eating, greeting,
etc.
However, Burkina is at the same time one of the most open West African countries and people are
in general very respectful to women and any foreigner.
