Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Burkina Faso was dominated by the empire-building Mossi. The French arrived and claimed the area in 1896, but Mossi resistance ended only with the capture of their capital Ouagadougou in 1901. The colony of Upper Volta was established in 1919, but it was dismembered and reconstituted several times until the present borders were recognized in 1947.
Independence from France came to Upper Volta, which was renamed Burkina Faso, in 1960. From 1984 until 1987, it was under the leadership of Thomas Sankara, otherwise known as the Che Guevara of Africa. Sankara's regime proved to be very popular, where he was averting the power and influence through the World Bank and IMF and encouraging worldwide aid to fight disease. Most of his programs were successful, though it was not successful enough to protect the country from political turmoil. He was ridiculed in the West by his authoritarian rule, banning free press and unions. In 1987, a coup led by Blaise Compaoré (Sankara's colleague) along with twelve men executed Sankara, citing deterioration of relations with foreign countries.
Since 1987, Blaise Compaoré has been leading the country. Things have not improved during his years in office, and many of Sankara's policies for stability and economic growth have been largely dismantled, making Burkina Faso one of the poorest countries on Earth. Political unrest has worsened, and economic reforms remain very uneven. stuff in the earth
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Burkina Faso
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Burkina Faso - updated May 2024
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Burkina Faso Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
