"Ditanyè", also known as "L'Hymne de la victoire" or "Une Seule Nuit", is the national anthem of Burkina Faso. Former president Thomas Sankara, also a jazz guitarist, wrote the lyrics. The composer of the melody is unknown, but it has also been attributed to Sankara.
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.
Bilgho Akaramata Kora, also known as Bil Aka Kora is a musician. He was one of the 17 children of Mahama and Teoura Bilgho. He is married to Astride, and is the father of Korane Prisca. Bil Aka Kora's sound draws upon traditional music from the language, instruments, rhythm and themes of the south of Burkina Faso.
The African Independence Party was a political party in Burkina Faso, led by Soumane Touré. It was formed in 1999 when Touré broke away from the original PAI.
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 Upper Volta from October 1978 to November 25, 1980.
Football is the most popular sport in Burkina Faso. And the national association can look back on recent developments with a great deal of pride. Reaching the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations on home soil in 1998, reaching the knockout stage for their first FIFA World Youth Championship in 2003, and appearances at two final competitions of the CAF U-17 Cup, as well as third place at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 are the country's outstanding achievements at international level. The nations most famous players include Kassoum Ouegraogo, nicknamed Zico, who had his most successful seasons with Espérance de Tunis before ending his career in Germany, Siaka Ouattara, who spent his entire career with Mulhouse in France, and Moumouni Dagano, who was voted best African player in Belgium in 2001, when he played for the Belgian side Genk. He later went on to play for the French side Guingamp before transferring to another French team, FC Sochaux in 2005. Burkina Faso received an unexpected free pass into the group stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification process, when their opening round contestant, the Central African Republic, withdrew from the competition. This gave the West Africans, who were at that stage ranked 14th on the continent, the certainty that their name would be in the hat when the Preliminary Draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was made. They got off to a flying start, beating Ghana 1-0 in their opening match and laying down a marker for their Group 2 adversaries South Africa, Cape Verde Islands, Congo DR and Uganda. The victory train began to come off the rails with two defeats to Cape Verde, and with a record of two wins and three losses, Burkina Faso were up against it at the half-way stage. Frenchman Bernard Simondi took over the coaching reins from Ivica Todorov and made the team harder to beat at home, even recording wins over South Africa and Congo DR, but in the end it was not quite enough, and the likes of Abdoulaye Cisse, Moumouni Dagano, and Wilfred Sanou went no further in the competition.
Florent Belemgnegré, better known by his stage name Floby, is an Ivorian-Burkinabé singer and musician. He sings in the French and Mòoré languages. His music uses African sounds such as the kora and djembe but also rap and electric guitar.
Moulaye Dicko, better known by his stage name Dicko Fils, is a Burkinabé musician of Fulɓe origin. He sings and plays the kamale n'goni.
Firmin Boubié Bazié, better known by his stage name Agozo, is a Burkinabé singer.
Andemtenga is the capital and largest settlement in Andemtenga Department, Kouritenga province, Burkina Faso. It had a population of about 2,120 in 2006.
Dylan Ouédraogo is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Belgian First Division B club OH Leuven. Born in France, he represents the Burkina Faso national football team.
Sofiane Balzak Kanazoé, also known by his stage name Sofiano, is a singer from Burkina Faso. His music generally encompasses the afro-zouk and coupé-décalé genres. He has worked with the Burkinabé artists Floby, Dez Altino and Agozo and has performed in the Jardin de la Musique Remdoogo, a music and arts festival in the Burkinabé capital, Ouagadougou. Sofiano won two national Kundé awards, the Kundé of revelation and the Kundé of hope, in 2015.
Nartey Polo Amanor is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for AS Otôho as a defender.
Hawa Boussim is a Burkinabé singer.
Mamadou Diabaté is a Burkinabe musician mostly known for his balafon playing. He lives in Vienna, Austria and has toured internationally with his ensemble Mamadou Diabaté & Percussion Mania.
Émile Ilboudo, better known by his stage name Imilo Lechanceux, is an Ivorian-Burkinabé singer, dancer and DJ. He sings in French, Mòoré and Dyula. Lechanceux's music generally falls under the coupé-décalé and afrobeat genres, and he also occasionally raps on his songs. He has toured in West Africa, Europe, Canada and the United States. Lechanceux is sometimes known by his nickname on songs, Le Fils du Pays.
Christine Kafando is a Burkinabé HIV/AIDS activist. Since the 1990s, she has been active in HIV/AIDS prevention and response efforts. For her work, she has been recognized by Burkina Faso's Order of Merit and France's Legion of Honour.
Malika Ouattara is a slam poet and musical artist from Burkina Faso, known as "Malika la Slameuse".
An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of 1.9 million people and the deaths of at least 2,000 civilians and combatants.
Philomaine Nanema, also Philo is a comedian and actress from Burkina Faso. She is the recipient of the 2020 ECOWAS prize for best young comedian. In 2022 she co-presented Hello Doc, a series intended to encourage COVID-19 immunisation in Africa.
