30th Oct 2014.
“Ouagadougou” - Capital of Burkina Faso in Turmoil...
Posted on the 30 October 2014 by Sampathkumar Sampath
Before you mistake these
three colours for something else – it is river – the Volta River, a stream primarily in Ghana that drains into
the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean. It has three main tributaries—the Black
Volta, White Volta and Red Volta.
You may not
easily spell or pronounce “Ouagadougou” – the name of capital of Burkina Faso
and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the
nation. The city's name is often
shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais. Ouagadougou's primary industries are food
processing and textiles. It is served by an international airport, rail links
to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. The name
Ouagadougou dates back to the 15th century when the Ninsi tribes inhabited the
area. They were in constant conflict until 1441 when Wubri, a Yonyonse hero and
an important figure in Burkina Faso's history, led his tribe to victory. He
then renamed the area from "Kumbee-Tenga", as the Ninsi had called
it, to "Wage sabre soba koumbem tenga", meaning "head war
chief's village". The city became the capital of the Mossi
Empire in 1441.
The place is in news for
wrong reasons – it’s Parliament is on fire …. Burkina
Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa around 274,200 square
kilometres (105,900 sq mi) in size. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Formerly
called the Republic of Upper Volta, the country was renamed "Burkina Faso"
on 4th August 1984 by the then-President
Thomas Sankara, using a word from each of the country's two major native
languages, Mòoré and Dioula. Figuratively, Burkina,
from Mòoré, may be translated as "men of integrity", while Faso means
"fatherland" in Dioula. "Burkina Faso" is understood as
"Land of upright people" or "Land of honest people”. French
is an official language of government and business in the country.
Today, Daily Mail reports
that protesters set fire to Parliament amid violent demonstrations against
president's bid to extend his rule. Angry
demonstrators went on the rampage in Burkina Faso today in protest at plans to
allow the President to extend his 27-year rule, setting the parliament on fire
and wreaking havoc across the capital. Crowds of people broke through a heavy
security cordon and stormed the National Assembly building in Ouagadougou,
ransacking offices and setting fire to cars. One man was killed in the chaos
that erupted in the west African nation shortly before lawmakers were due to
vote on the controversial legislation.
The United States and
former colonial power France voiced alarm over the unrest gripping the poor
west African nation and appealed for calm. Amid the surging violence, the
government announced it was calling off the vote but it was not immediately
clear if this was only a temporary move. Black smoke billowed out of smashed
windows at the parliament building, where several offices were ravaged by
flames, including the speaker's office, although the main chamber so far
appeared to be unscathed. The ruling party headquarters in the second city of
Bobo Dioulasso and the city hall was also torched by protesters, witnesses
said.
The country has been tense
for days in the run-up to today's vote on constitutional changes to extend
President Blaise Compaore's rule. The
European Union has urged the government to scrap the legislation, warning that
it could 'jeopardise... stability, equitable development and democratic progress',
and had called for all sides to refrain from violence. The legislature is due
to examine a proposed amendment that would allow Compaore, now in the 27th year
of his presidency, to run for re-election in November next year for another
five years. Compaore's bid to cling to
power has angered the opposition and much of the public, including many young
people in a country where 60 percent of the population of almost 17 million is
under 25. Many have spent their entire lives under the leadership of one man
and - with the poor former French colony stagnating at 183rd out of 186
countries on the UN human development index - many have had enough. Compaore was only 36 when he seized power in a
1987 coup in which his former friend and one of Africa's most loved leaders,
Thomas Sankara, was ousted and assassinated. The 63-year-old has remained in
power since then, re-elected president four times since 1991 - to two
seven-year and two five-year terms.
The opposition fears the
new rules would enable Compaore to seek re-election not just once, but three
more times, paving the way for up to 15 more years in power. Protesters have
erected barricades and burned tyres in the capital since the proposal was
announced on October 21.
Things are
not alright at ‘the land of honest people’
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
30th Oct 2014.
30th Oct 2014.