Six countries surround the landlocked country of Burkina Faso, which was previously called Upper Volta. It is located in the heart of West Africa. It is a country which has had an unstable and sometimes violent history with coup after coup resulting in many changes of government, in the rights of the people, and its economic status.
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) was a French colony from 1897 until August 5, 1960. Its official language remains French, and its currency is the Franc. After 1960, the leadership of the country changed several times until 1981 when Thomas Sankara took control. It was at that time that the name of the country was changed to Burkina Faso which translated means, “the land of upright men”. Sankara was responsible for bringing many improvements to the country and its people. He improved the schools, encouraged food production, and established medical clinics.
Even though conditions in the country were better under his rule, there was still much unrest, and in 1987 he was assassinated (“Susan Altman”).
The country was then led by a series of several men, each of whom made some changes, including creating a new constitution, free elections, and many reforms. Today, Burkina Faso is a
Semi Presidential Republic with Blaise Compaore as President. The president is the leader of the executive branch, but the day to day governance is led by the prime minister. There is also a legislature which consists of 111 members who are popularly elected to serve five-year terms.
The country is separated into 45 provinces (“Susan Altman”).
Riehl 2
Burkina Faso is an economically poor country. Most of the population makes its living mostly farming or raising livestock. Their major crops are sorghum, beans, ri...
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...ity of Banfora. Another important lake is Lake Bam which is on the north stretch of the White Volta River (“Susan
Altman”).
With undeveloped resource of gold, the economy that they rely on is the exporting of cotton. The make-up of the 18.6 percent of Burkina Faso is 59 percent Muslims, 93 percent
Mali, 99 percent Niger and 56 percent Chad. This is within the Islamic circle of North Western part of Africa (“H.J De Blij, Peter O. Muller, Jan Nijman ”).
The people of Burkina Faso are a proud people who are enjoying becoming part of the modern world. They have survived many upheavals and problems, but they have endured and are starting to see signs of prosperity. The country’s motto: Unity, Progress, Justice, and their national anthem, One Single Night/Hymn of Victory reflect the optimism and hope of the people as they look forward to better days ahead.
Algeria had revolted against the French colonies many times, but did not succeed with overthrowing them. Under the French rule
Mackie, R. (2008), ‘The Art of the Benin: Changing Relations between Europe and Africa I: The conquest of the Benin in the 1890’s’, in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 16-32
would change became reality. This was a threat to the power of the king. The different
the leader was not seen as being strong and in control, the people would not want to put
Barack Obama also showed credibility by quoting a part of the declaration that shows pride. Obama goes on and explains that our pride isn’t only in the height of our skyscrapers, the power of our military or the size of our economy.
...bances began to emerge, and the economy began to drop. Unrest cost many lives, until demands for change were heard and the political system was revised. In 1994, the South African people went to the polls for the first time and held a democratic election in which Nelson Mandela became president. The country of South Africa has made strides in healing their broken country.
Like most eastern countries that rely on one source of income Nigeria has had major
In 1824, a major boom in the Aruban economy occurred when gold was discovered on the island. This was extensively mined and became a large export until the mines depleted.
Africa was divided into a series of seven colonial empires. France and Britain had the...
The Democratic Republic of Congo, fourth largest nation and second largest country in Africa, has many different kinds of natural resources such as diamond, copper, petroleum and stunning landscapes. Moreover; their laws state that women and men enjoy the same rights; they are not forced to get married, both have the right to vote and contribute in the economy. However, in reality because of the cultural traditions which indicate that men are the households and women have to obey and must take permission from their husband or their father before taking any action outside the house, women are not allowed to be involved in any meetings or own any business; they are only allowed to work. Their unequal but peaceful life; however, does not last. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been going through a civil war since the 1960s. Congo's natural and valuable resources and the government's weak ability to control the territory, the people and the army caused a rebel. Terrorists in military uniform selling the country's wealth to companies worldwide and keeping the profits to themselves; in addition to raping women daily to spread terror and keep the government under fear. Men who rape and treat women as sexual slaves are criminals for sure, but the UN organization is to be blamed too.
European colonization had an impact on the government of Africa. One day, a white man came to the African council and told them that they now had a king. The King of Europe was now their king and Africa was his land. A new council was made in the town of Nairobi, in which acted for their King and was Africa’s government. The council made laws for the Africans to follow (Doc.
New African Vol. 1.492 (2010): 14. History Reference Center -. 2010 - EBSCO Industries, Inc. Web.
They lived in an area called Kumbi, or Kumbi Saleh, which is near the modern day southeastern Mauritania and Mali, close to the Sahara desert; The Senegal and Niger rives were their main sources of water. Since Ghana was in the middle of the Western part of Africa, it made it an excellent spot to control trade (Gold was plentiful in the south, and salt was plentiful to the north) Helped manage trade between north Africans and the Wanagrans. Their land was comprised of two rivers, Senegal and Niger, and their surrounding area was either a Savannah, rain forests, or Sahel, which is a piece of land that acts as a transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanian Savanna
Nigeria, an African country on the Gulf of Guinea, is known for its natural landmarks
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.