Zorgho | |
|---|---|
  Zorgho Location within Burkina Faso | |
| Coordinates: 12°15′N0°37′W / 12.250°N 0.617°W | |
| Country |  Burkina Faso |
| Region | Plateau-Central Region |
| Province | Ganzourgou Province |
| Department | Zorgho Department |
| Elevation | 278 m (912 ft) |
| Population (2019 census) [1] | |
| • Total | 35,398 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Zorgho is a town in the Zorgho Department of Ganzourgou Province in Burkina Faso. Zorgho is the capital of Zorgho Department and Ganzourgou Province, and has a population of 35,398. [1]
There is a traditional Mossi dance from the town of Zorgho [2] called warba. [3] The dance involves the dancers moving one after another, shaking their bottoms and shoulders quickly. [4] [5] It was traditionally accompanied by the bendré, a gourd drum with a sheep's skin. [5]
Around the first week of July every year, the customary festival of Nabasga is held in the town of Zorgho to pay homage to ancestors. [6] This festival, held by the chief of the town, the Naba Sanem of Zorgho, consists of a ritual of sacrifice to thank the ancestors for the past season and implore their blessings for the one that begins. [6]
The party begins with a secret retreat of the chief from the village for a few days. His return to the palace marks the official beginning of the festivities. On the morning of Saturday, the dance troupes set up in the vicinity of the royal palace. Warba, maranse, yarma, liwaga, kiègba and other dances are performed to lively music. Meanwhile, the chief, with his notables, receive hundreds of high-ranking guests, arriving from across the area to his palace. [6]
On the evening of Saturday around 5 pm, the chief leaves the town on horseback, accompanied by his ministers, his notables and some women of the royal family, each carrying a basket on their head. It simulates a journey whose destination is an old market place located a few hundred meters from the palace, where he makes three laps before making the sacrifice. In the vicinity of the path leading to this place, in front of and behind the chief, thousands of people make the movement to observe the ritual. [6]
After the chief returns to the palace, some go to see the dancers, and others go to the bar to drink beer. The party officially ends with the tour of the market by the "queens", 3 days later. An appointment is then made for the festival of the next year. [6]
Ouagadougou or Wagadugu is the capital of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais. The spelling of the name Ouagadougou is derived from the French orthography common in former French African colonies.
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.
The Mossi are a Gur ethnic group native to modern Burkina Faso, primarily the Volta River basin. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, constituting 52% of the population, or about 11.1 million people. The other 48% of Burkina Faso's population is composed of more than 60 ethnic groups, mainly the Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Bissa and Fulani. The Mossi speak the Mòoré language.
The Dagbamba or Dagomba are an ethnic group of Ghana, and Togo. They number more than 3.1 million people. The term Dagbamba is originally extended to refer to other related peoples who were unified by Naa Gbewaa including the Mamprusi and Nanumba. The Dagomba country is called Dagbon and they speak Dagbanli language. Dagbanli is the most spoken language of northern Ghana and second most widely spoken local language of Ghana. Dagbanli belongs to the Mabia (Mole-Dagbani) subgroup of the Gur languages, a large group of related languages in West Africa. The Dagomba practises both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of inheritance.
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The culture of Burkina Faso in West Africa is also called the Burkinabé culture.
Téra is a city in the Tillabéri Region, Tera Department of Niger. It is situated 175 km north-west of the capital Niamey, close to the border with Burkina Faso. It is mainly inhabited by Songhai, Fulani, Gourmantche and Buzu ethnic groups. The majority of the population are farmers.
Tenkodogo is the capital city of Boulgou Province and the Centre-Est Region of Burkina Faso with a population of 61,936 (2019). Tenkodogo is also the capital of the Tenkodogo Mossi Kingdom and considered to be root of all other Mossi Kingdoms, having been found circa 1100. The literal translation of Tenkodogo is ancient-land.
Islam in Burkina Faso has a long and varied history. According to the 2010 census, the population of the country was 63.2% Muslim. The 2019 census notes that 63.8% of the population are Muslim
The Mossi Kingdoms, were a group of kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso that dominated the region of the upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdom was that of Ouagadougou. The king of Ouagadougou, known as the Mogho Naaba, or King of All the World, served as the Emperor of all the Mossi. The first kingdom was founded when Dagomba warriors from the present-day Ghana region and Mandé warriors moved into the area and intermarried with local people. The different kingdom's consolidation of political and military power began in the 13th century, leading to conflicts between the Mossi kingdoms and other nearby powerful states. In 1896, the French took over the kingdoms and created the French Upper Volta colony, which for many decades largely governed using the Mossi administrative structure.
The Gurunsi, or Grunshi, are a set of related ethnic groups inhabiting northern Ghana and south and central Burkina Faso.
Yennenga was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. She was a famous warrior precious for her father, Naa Gbewaa or Nedega, the founder of the kingdom of Dagbon, now in present day Ghana. But the princess aspired to another destiny and decided to leave the kingdom. On the run with her horse, she meets a young hunter, Rialé with whom she had a child called Ouedraogo. Ouedraogo is a famous last name in Burkina Faso and means "male horse" in honor to the horse which leads the princess to Rialé. Yennenga or her son Ouedraogo are considered the founder of the Mossi Kingdoms. There are different versions about the escape of the princess.
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, 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.
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.
The Kassena people are an ethnic group located along the northern Ghana and Burkina Faso border. They speak the Kasem language. Their king lives in the town of Tiébélé. The Kasenna are closely related to the people of Nankanni and were brought together to form the Kassena-Nankana administrative district in 1936. As of 2008 the (Kassena-Nankana) area comprises two districts: Kassena Nankana West and Kassena Nankana East.
The Fetu Afahye is a festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated on the first Saturday in the month of September every year. The Fetu Afahye is celebrated annually by the Oguaa people of Cape Coast because in the past there was an outbreak of disease among the people that killed many. The people prayed to the gods to help them to get rid of the disease. Thus the festival is celebrated to keep the town clean and to prevent another epidemic befalling the people.
The art of Burkina Faso is the product of a rich cultural history. In part, this is because so few people from Burkina have become Muslim or Christian. Many of the ancient artistic traditions for which Africa is so well known have been preserved in Burkina Faso because so many people continue to honor the ancestral spirits, and the spirits of nature. In great part they honor the spirits through the use of masks and carved figures. Many of the countries to the north of Burkina Faso had become predominantly Muslim, while many of the countries to the south of Burkina Faso are heavily Christian. In contrast many of the people of Burkina Faso continue to offer prayers and sacrifices to the spirits of nature and to the spirits of their ancestors. The result is that they continue to use the sorts of art that we see in museums in Europe and America.
Amadou Traoré, better known as Amadou Balaké, was a popular singer from Burkina Faso. During his career, which lasted over 50 years, Balaké recorded and performed in different parts of West Africa as well as New York and Paris. In the early 21st century, he was a member of Senegalese salsa band Africando. His music combined different traditions from his home country, primarily Dioula (Mandé) and Mossi, as well as Afro-Cuban music.
Naba Baongo II is the current Mogho Naba, the constituent king of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. According to oral tradition, he is the 37th king of the Mossi. As king, he is seen as a symbol of tradition and still retains influence in political matters within the country, and elected MPs, ministers, and ambassadors are known to seek his approval.
On the night between December 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019, alleged Ansarul Islam jihadists attacked the village of Yirgou, in Barsalogho Department, Burkina Faso. While initial reports claimed the attack killed six people, including the village chief and his son, later reports and investigations showed up to 210 people were killed.
12°15′N0°37′W / 12.250°N 0.617°W
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