Published on : Monday, August 11, 2014
Burkina Faso celebrates its independence day every year on August 5th. This country got independent from French rule in 1960. Before that, the territory was merged with and separated from other French territories in West Africa.
History
Until the end of 19th century, the empire-building Mossi dominated the history of Burkina Faso. In 1896, the French claimed the area but Mossi resistance was there till 1901, when the French captured the capital, Ouagadougou. In 1919, the colony of upper Volta was established. It was dismantled and reconstituted several times. The present borders were recognized in 1947.
After independence, Yameogo tried to reduce the power of the Mossi rulers, but his power was reduced by the poor economy and internal conflicts. In 1965, he was reelected as president. It was quite unsurprising because all the other parties were banned. In 1966, a group of army officers headed by Lt. Col. Sangoulé Lamizana overthrew his government in a bloodless rebellion. He then became the head of the state. In 1983, another movement erupted which carved out the country’s modern identity.
Thomas Sankara led it. Sankara was a staunch supporter of women’s equality. He was strongly anti-corruption and ideological. During his rule, female circumcision and prostitution were banned. He was also against polygamy. He introduced a campaign that vaccinated 3 million children against diseases like yellow fever, measles, and meningitis, in only 15 days.
Present
The country celebrated Revolution Day on August 4th which marks the original revolution that took place in 1960 which led to Burkina Faso’s independence.
Burkina Faso has come a long way in 54 years. It has established its own identity. Every citizen of the country celebrates the Independence Day with unmatched enthusiasm. It is a fact that the country is still poor economically but it is showing a continuous growth of 5%. There are nearly 60 ethnic groups in the country and many religions, which live side by side peacefully. They all take the pledge on the Independence Day to make their country prosperous and peaceful.
Tags: burkina faso, independence day
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