BURKINA FASO

Burkina Faso is a fascinating landlocked country located in the heart of West Africa. Bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire. The country’s name, which means “Land of Honest People.”  With a population of over 24 million people, Burkina Faso is home to more than 60 ethnic groups, each contributing unique customs, languages, music, and art to the nation’s diverse cultural identity. Although French is the official language, many local languages, including Mooré, Dioula, and Fulfulde, are widely spoken across the country.

Burkina Faso is also known as the Land of the Upright People, Burkina Faso sits at the heart of West Africa, where the dry Sahel gradually gives way to greener savannah, sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, forests, ancient cultural landscapes, quiet villages, red-earth roads and golden rock formations. We crossed the border between Mali and Burkina Faso and turned onto the main road toward Ouagadougou. But this was no ordinary journey. Civil unrest had cast a long shadow over the region, and with every kilometre, the sense of uncertainty grew. Soldiers in Ouagadougou fired shots into the air and looting and violence spread through parts of the capital.