Any Travels

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by Niger in the east, Benin in the southeast, Togo and Ghana and Ivory Coast in the south, and in the west and north by Mali.

The country consists, for the most part, of a vast lateritic plateau in the West African savanna, approximately 650-1000 ft above sea level. This plateau is slightly inclined toward the south and notched by valleys formed by the three principal rivers, the Black, White and Red Voltas, and their main tributary, the Sourou. These rivers flow southward and meet in Ghana. They are alternately dry or in flood and all are unnavigable. In general, the land is dry and poor.

Burkina Faso consistently produces silk purses from sows' ears; they come from one of the poorest countries in the world, but they are renowned for their don't-worry-be-happy optimism and have managed to fashion a beautiful and culturally sophisticated country out of the little resources they do have.

The Burkinabes are descended from a long line of regal emperors who have suffered the plebeian indignities of colonialism and blackbirding, but this has only served to strengthen and preserve their cultural identity. Today, they are known for their music, dance, theatre and film.

Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou (or Ouaga), lies right in the middle of the country, standing at the crossroads of several ancient trade routes. It's more a large country town than a megalopolis; the core central area is easily covered on foot. There's not a lot to see, or visit, in Ouagadougou but what it lacks in epic monuments and grand buildings it makes up for in wide, shady boulevards, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly smiles. Burkinabes are gregarious people, always ready for a laugh and a chat over coffee, and hospitality is one of the city's trademarks. Unlike many other Sahelian cities, Ouagadougou is not predominantly Muslim so it's also got a lively nightclub scene.

Aimless ambling is a pleasant pastime in Ouagadougou but if you need a destination to hang your hat on, visit the National Museum. Traditional masks, pottery pieces, and other paraphernalia from the major ethnic groups are on display. The cathedral, near the Moro-Naba Palace, is the largest church in the interior of the West Africa. Ouagadougou's Grande Marche is always worth a visit. It's in the centre of town and has a number of great stalls upstairs.

The main trading centre is inside a triangle, with the train station at the northern point, the Presidential Palace at the eastern point and the cathedral at the southern point. Nelson Mandela Avenue bisects the top half of the triangle before terminating at a large roundabout, the Place des Nations Unies. Most of the major streets branch off from the roundabout like spokes on a wheel. Places to stay and eat are scattered evenly throughout the triangle.

Burkina Faso has over 60 ethnic groups, each with its own social and cultural distinction, but all emphatically Burkinabe. The major groups include the Bobo who live around the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, the Fulani, the Lobi, and the Senufo, but the most significant and dominant group are the Mossi. The Mossi are descendants of a royal empire and the emperor, or Moro-Naba, possesses tremendous social cachet and influence. Some Mossi descendants are Muslims but Burkina Faso is notable for the fact that it is one of the few West African countries that is not predominantly Muslim. Almost half the population still follow traditional animist beliefs.

Each ethnic group has its own artistic style but the art of the Mossi, Bobo and Lobi are the most famous. The Mossi are known for their antelope masks; impressively tall masks, which are over 2m (7ft) high and painted in red or white. The masks are usually worn at funerals and when guarding certain fruits. The Bobo make large butterfly masks, painted in stripes of red, white and black, that are used to invoke the deity Do in fertility ceremonies. The Bobo actually have an entire zoos-worth of animal masks but the butterfly masks are the only ones worn horizontally. The Lobi have one of the best preserved traditions in Africa, including the dyoro initiation rites for young boys. Lobi art, especially the wood carvings, which protect the family, are highly valued.

Burkina Faso has led the way in the renaissance of African art and culture. The Pan-African Film Festival, occuring every two years, had a humble beginning in 1969 but has since grown to become a chic West African version of Hollywood's independent cine scene, without the pouting next-biggest-thing, air kissing executives, and frenzied bidding wars. A different cultural festival, occurring in the non-Pan-African years, covers other artistic pursuits - music, dancing and theatre. As an adjunct to this, Burkina Faso hosts the continent's largest craft market.

Gourmands who believe that solid food is only necessary because the sauce has to go on something will love the food in Burkina Faso; everything comes with sauce. It's a bit weird, really, when you consider Burkina Faso's French connections but the fact is you get sauce with everything: sauce with rice (riz sauce), vegetable sauce with rice (riz gras), a fish-based sauce (sauce de poisson), sauce with beef and eggplant (boeuf sauce aubergine) and sauce with mutton and tomatoes (mouton sauce tomatoe). In rural areas, bush rat (with or without sauce) is considered a delicacy.