Burkina Faso
Africa · Ouagadougou · BF
Burkina Faso is the land of the honest people of the West Africa, the landlocked country of the Sahel whose name, chosen after the revolution to replace the old colonial title of the Upper Volta, speaks of the integrity of its peoples. The country, which spreads across the savanna of the south of the Sahara between the goldfields, the river valleys and the great plains, holds the capital of the Ouagadougou, the lively city of the festivals, the film and the music of the region, together with the ancient sites of the stone walls of the Loropeni, the painted houses of the Tiebele and the remarkable court and mask traditions of the peoples of the interior. Famous for the warmth of its welcome, its popular culture and its generous festivals, the country is the cultural heart of the Sahel, a destination of the deep roots of the African hospitality.
Overview
Burkina Faso is a country in Africa. Its capital is Ouagadougou and the international dialling code is +226. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include French. Local currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF). We also list 1 city in Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou.
The Capital of the Ouagadougou and the Rooftops of the City
The capital of the Ouagadougou, the sprawling, friendly city of the centre of the country, is the political and the cultural heart of the nation, a busy city of the wide avenues, the royal palace of the Mogho Naba, the shaded parks and the bustling markets. The city is famous as the host of the great cinema festival of the African continent and of the arts festival of the region, and the cultural centres and the band rehearsal halls of the capital keep the celebrated music of the country alive. The grand mosque and the cathedral of the capital, the handicraft market of the village of the arts and the national museum of the country complete the circuit of the town, and the relaxed, laughing rhythm of the capital sets the gentle tone of the whole country.
The Dancers of the Masks and the Festivals of the Honest Land
The great festivals of the masks of the peoples of the country, held for the funerals, the harvests and the rites of passage of the villages of the west of the nation, are among the most dramatic and the most ancient ceremonies of the West Africa. The masks, the carved and the woven figures of the animals, the ancestors and the spirits that the dancers bring to life with the drums and the songs, guard the history and the values of the villages. The ceremonies of the country, from the famous funerals of the south with their long hours of dancing to the face-painted courts of the chiefs, keep the deep tradition of the Sahel alive, and the great biennial festival of the masks gathers the dancers and the communities of the whole nation.
The Ruins of the Loropeni and the Walls of the Stone
The ruins of the Loropeni, the remarkable complex of the stone walls, the ramparts and the enclosures that rise above the green plains of the south of the country, are the first and the most celebrated heritage site of the nation to be listed on the world heritage of the whole region. The walls of the site, the thousand-year-old circuits of the cut stone that the gold trade of the medieval era is believed to have paid for, stand in the silent, impressive ruins of the ancient settlement, one of the great mysteries of the archaeology of the Sahel. The excavations and the surveys of the site have revealed the layers of the fortifications, the towers and the dwellings of the vanished city, and the setting of the site, on the trade routes of the gold and the kola of the west, gives the ruins their extraordinary historical significance.
The Painted Houses of the Tiebele and the Granaries of the Clay
The village of the Tiebele, in the centre of the country, is famous for the remarkable painted houses of the Kassena people, the guruni houses of the sacred enclosure of the chief of the village whose mud walls face an intricate decoration of the black, the white and the ochre patterns. The women of the village are the painters and the mistresses of the ancient technique, applying the patterns of the symbols, the stars and the animals with the natural pigments in the annual renovation of the houses, and the walls of the enclosure, with their towers, their granaries and their curved roofs of the millet straw, hold the living architecture of the Sahelian tradition. The hospitality of the village, which welcomes the visitor to the courtyard of the chief and to the shade of the sacred enclosure, completes the extraordinary experience of the painted world of the Tiebele.
The Hippos of the Comoé and the Parks of the South
The national parks and the reserves of the south of the country protect the wildlife of the Sahel, the elephants, the buffaloes, the antelopes and the water game of the savannas, the rivers and the forests that follow the valleys of the Comoé. The river of the Comoé, which crosses the great park of the same name through the wet savanna of the deep south, is famous for its calm reaches and its hippopotamuses, which the pirogue trips of the park allow the visitor to watch at close range. The lagoons, the dried valleys and the dense galleries of the forest, with their birds and their primates, and the lodges and the camps of the conservation, complete the picture of the wilder side of the land of the honest people.
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- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF)
- Languages
- French
- Calling code
- +226
- Internet TLD
- bf
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Burkina Faso.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Burkina Faso?
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso, and the country sits in Africa.
What currency is used in Burkina Faso?
You pay with West African CFA franc (XOF) in Burkina Faso. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Burkina Faso?
The languages we list for Burkina Faso are French. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Burkina Faso?
The dialling code for Burkina Faso is +226 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Burkina Faso do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou (capital).