Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Niger. Then, in 1919, the area was hived off for administrative expedience as a separate
colony, Haute Volta (Upper Volta).
Independence & Thomas Sankara
World War II brought about profound changes in France's relationship with its colonies.
The Mossi, like numerous other people in Africa, started challenging the colonial hege-
mony. The Upper Volta became a state in 1947, and in 1956 France agreed to give its
colonies their own governments, with independence quickly following in 1960.
Following independence, dreams of freedom and prosperity quickly evaporated.
Between 1960 and 1983, the country experienced six coups and counter-coups and the
economy stagnated. Then, in 1983, Captain Thomas Sankara, an ambitious young left-
wing military star, seized power.
Over the next four years 'Thom Sank' (as he was popularly known) recast the country.
He changed its name to Burkina Faso (meaning 'Land of the Incorruptible'), restructured
the economy to promote self-reliance in rural areas and tackled corruption with rare zeal.
He was ahead of his time, promoting women's rights and standing up against Western
paradigms on aid and development. But his authoritarian grip on power and his intoler-
ance of those who didn't share his ideals were to be his downfall: in late 1987 a group of
junior officers seized power and Sankara was killed.
The Compaoré Years
The new junta was headed by Captain Blaise Compaoré, Sankara's former friend and co-
revolutionary. In late 1991 Compaoré was elected president. But as sole candidate, with
low turnout and with the assassination of Clément Ouédraogo, the leading opposition fig-
ure, a couple of weeks later, his legitimacy remained weak.
In a bid to mark a clear break with Sankara, Compaoré immediately orchestrated a U-
turn on the economy, overturning nationalisations and bringing the country back into the
IMF fold. He has since been re-elected three times, in 1998, 2005 and 2010, each time
with more than 80% of the vote. He is one of Africa's last 'big men' (long-serving, au-
thoritarian leaders) and his democratic credentials will be tested in 2015: a 2000 constitu-
tional amendment stipulates that a president may only run for two terms, although Com-
paoré craftily only introduced it after his victory in 2005.
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