Burkinabé literature

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Burkinabé literature grew out of oral tradition, which remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maxims, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), a record of the oral history of the Mossi people. The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabé writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as Nazi Boni and Roger Nikiema. The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published. Since the 1970s, literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published.

Oral tradition form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved and transmitted orally from one generation to another

Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved and transmitted orally from one generation to another. The transmission is through speech or song and may include folktales, ballads, chants, prose or verses. In this way, it is possible for a society to transmit oral history, oral literature, oral law and other knowledge across generations without a writing system, or in parallel to a writing system. Religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, for example, have used an oral tradition, in parallel to a writing system, to transmit their canonical scriptures, secular knowledge such as Sushruta Samhita, hymns and mythologies from one generation to the next.

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Mossi people ethnic group

The Mossi are a people in central Burkina Faso, living mostly in the villages of the Nazinon and Nakanbe River Basin. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, constituting more than 40% of the population, or about 6.2 million people. The other 60% of Burkina Faso's population is composed of more than 60 ethnic groups, mainly the Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo and Fulani. The Mossi speak the Mòoré language.

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Early literature and colonial times

Prior to colonisation, written literature was virtually absent in Burkina Faso, like much of Africa. [1] The oral tradition has always been important to the many ethnic groups, sustaining the cultural diversity of the country. [2] Culture has been transmitted orally through music and dance. [1] This has been described by Titinga Frédéric Pacéré in his 1992 book Le langage des tam-tams et des masques Afrique, emphasising the importance in many of Burkina Faso's ethnic groups of griots, and the older members of the communities. [1]

Colonialism Creation, and maintenance of colonies by people from another territory

Colonialism is the policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other people or territories, generally with the aim of opening trade opportunities. The colonizing country seeks to benefit from the colonized country or land mass. In the process, colonizers imposed their religion, economics, and medicinal practices on the natives. Some argue this was a positive move toward modernization, while other scholars refute this theory as being biased and Eurocentric, noting that modernization is a concept introduced by Europeans. Colonialism is largely regarded as a relationship of domination of an indigenous majority by a minority of foreign invaders where the latter rule in pursuit of its interests.

Titinga Frédéric Pacéré Burkinabe writer and historian

Titinga Frédéric Pacéré is a Burkinabé solicitor, writer, poet and griot and founder and curator of the Musée de Manega museum in Burkina Faso. He studied in Abidjan. He has written over twenty books and published 60 volumes and has been awarded the medal of honour of the Association of French speaking writers (A.D.E.L.F.).

Griot storyteller of oral tradition in West Africa

A griot, jali, or jeli is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition and is often seen as a leader due to his or her position as an advisor to royal personages. As a result of the former of these two functions, they are sometimes called a bard.

In 1934, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo wrote his book Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maximes, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), recording the oral history of the Mossi kingdom which gave rise to Burkina Faso. [2] [3]

Post-independence

The first novel by a Burkinabé writer was Crépuscule des temps anciens (The Dawn of Ancient Times or The Twilight of the Bygone Days) by Nazi Boni, published in 1962. [3] [4] Boni was an important political figure in his country's independence and political issues informed his writing. [4] His novel explores the traditions of the Bwamu people and has been called an "ethnographic novel". [5] [6] The second Burkinabé novel was Roger Nikiema's 1967 book Dessein contraire. [5]

Nazi Boni Burkinabé politician

Nazi Boni was a politician from Upper Volta. In 1948 Boni was elected to the French National Assembly on behalf of the Voltaic Union (UV), and was re-elected in 1951 running on the Economic and Social Action in the Interests of Upper Volta list, although he remained a UV member. In 1955 Boni founded the African Popular Movement (MPA) after a split from the UV. In January 1957, Boni's MPA took part in the founding of the African Convention, a pan-African party that later merged into the African Regroupment Party.

Ethnography is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. The word can thus be said to have a double meaning, which partly depends on whether it is used as a count noun or uncountable. The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group.

During the 1960s, there was also a proliferation of theatre works. [2] Playwrights that became prominent in this time included Ouamdégré Ouedraogo with L'avare Moaga: comédie des moeurs (Miser Moaga: a Comedy of Manners), Pierre Dabiré with Sansoa and Moussa Savadogo with Fille de le Volta (Daughter of the Volta) and L'oracle (The Oracle). [2] [7] [8]

A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.

Moussa Savadogo is a Burkinabé writer and playwright. He was one of the most important playwrights in Burkinabé theatre following independence and became well known throughout the 1960s and 1970s in Burkina Faso.

In the 1970s, the next generation of Burkinabé novelists included Augustin-Sondé Coulibaly, Kollin Noaga and Etienne Sawadogo. [1] [3] More recent writers include Jacques Prosper Bazié, Ansomwin Ignace Hien, Jean-Baptiste Somé, Pierre Claver Ilboudo and Norbert Zongo. [1] [2] From the 1980s, women writers in Burkina Faso began to be published including Pierrette Sandra Kanzié, Bernadette Dao, Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo, Gaël Koné, Monique Ilboudo, Suzy Henrique Nikiéma, Sarah Bouyain and Adiza Sanoussi. [3] A particularly noted writer has been Frédéric Pacéré Titinga. [1]

Norbert Zongo, also known under the pen name of Henri Segbo or H.S., was a Burkinabé investigative journalist who managed the newspaper L'Indépendant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Under Zongo's supervision, L'Indépendant exposed extortion and impunity within the government of Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré. He was assassinated after his newspaper began investigating the murder of a driver who had worked for the brother of Burkinabé President Blaise Compaoré.

Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo is an Ivoirian-born Canadian poet and journalist. She has won the Trillium Book Award and been nominated for the Ottawa Book Award.

Monique Ilboudo author and human rights activist

Monique Ilboudo is an author and human rights activist from Burkina Faso. As of 2012 she was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Burkina Faso to the Nordic and Baltic countries.

See also

Related Research Articles

Burkina Faso country in Africa

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of around 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) and is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. The July 2018 population estimate by the United Nations was 19,751,651. Burkina Faso is a francophone country, with French as the official language of government and business. Roughly 40% of the population speaks the Mossi language. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabé. Its capital is Ouagadougou.

Jean-Baptiste Philippe Ouédraogo, also referred to by his initials JBO, is a Burkinabé physician and retired military officer who served as President of Upper Volta from 8 November 1982 to 4 August 1983. He has since mediated a few national political disputes and operates a clinic in Somgandé.

Music of Burkina Faso

The music of Burkina Faso includes the folk music of 60 different ethnic groups. The Mossi people, centrally located around the capital, Ouagadougou, account for 40% of the population while, to the south, Gurunsi, Gurma, Dagaaba and Lobi populations, speaking Gur languages closely related to the Mossi language, extend into the coastal states. In the north and east the Fulani of the Sahel preponderate, while in the south and west the Mande languages are common; Samo, Bissa, Bobo, Senufo and Marka. Burkinabé traditional music has continued to thrive and musical output remains quite diverse. Popular music is mostly in French: Burkina Faso has yet to produce a major pan-African success.

Mossi language one of two official regional languages of Burkina Faso

The Mossi language is a Gur language of the Oti–Volta branch and one of two official regional languages of Burkina Faso, closely related to the Frafra language spoken just across the border in the northern half of Ghana and less-closely to Dagbani and Mampruli further south. It is the language of the Mossi people, spoken by approximately 5 million people in Burkina Faso, plus another 60,000+ in Mali and Togo.

Idrissa Ouédraogo Burkinabe film director, screenwriter and producer

Idrissa Ouédraogo was a Burkinabé filmmaker. His work often explored the conflict between rural and city life and tradition and modernity in his native Burkina Faso and elsewhere in Africa. He is best known for his feature film Tilaï, which won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival and Samba Traoré (1993), which was nominated for the Silver Bear award at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Culture of Burkina Faso

The culture of Burkina Faso in West Africa is also called the Burkinabé culture.

Gérard Kango Ouédraogo Burkinabé politician

Gérard Kango Ouédraogo was a Burkinabé statesman and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Upper Volta from 13 February 1971 to 8 February 1974. He was subsequently President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso from October 1978 to November 25, 1980.

Articles related to Burkina Faso include:

Yennenga was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. She was a famous warrior whose son Ouedraogo founded the Mossi Kingdoms.

Theatre of Burkina Faso combines traditional Burkinabé performance with the colonial influences and post-colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre. Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks. Western-style theatre became common during colonial times, heavily influenced by French theatre. With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by forum theatre aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso's rural people.

Rugby union in Burkina Faso

Rugby union in Burkina Faso is a minor but growing sport.

Ouédraogo, sometimes Ouedraogo, is a surname taken from the French spelling of Wedraogo, semi-legendary son of princess Yennenga and founder of the Mossi Kingdoms.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marchais, Julien. Burkina Faso (in French). Petit Futé. pp. 91–92. ISBN   2-7469-1601-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Salhi, Kamal (1999). Francophone Voices. Intellect Books. p. 37. ISBN   1-902454-03-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Burkina Faso literature at a glance". The University of Western Australia. 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  4. 1 2 Gikandi, Simon; Michel Tinguiri (2003). Encyclopedia of African literature. Taylor & Francis. p. 102. ISBN   0-415-23019-5.
  5. 1 2 Allan, Tuzyline Jita (1997). Women's Studies Quarterly: Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary. Feminist Press. p. 86. ISBN   1-55861-169-X.
  6. ↑ Kevane, Michael (2004). Women and Development in Africa: How Gender Works. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 74. ISBN   1-58826-238-3.
  7. ↑ Gassner, John; Edward Quinn (2003). The Reader's Encyclopedia of World Drama. Courier Dover Publications. p. 9. ISBN   0-486-42064-7.
  8. ↑ Gérard, Albert S. (1986). European-language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 596. ISBN   963-05-3833-4.
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