Twenty four years after its independence, the Republic of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso.
The name change took place on this day, exactly a year after Thomas Sankara became president through a military coup de tat.
The colonial power had named the country Upper Volta, thanks to the flow of the Volta River and thus the people in the region were known as Voltaics. The flag at the time reflected the Volta and its tributaries: red, black and white.
Sankara changed the name to reflect the personality of the people. Burkina means ‘men of integrity’ in Moore language and Faso means ‘fatherland’ in Diouala. The people of the region are thus called the Burkinabe, with the ‘be’ meaning ‘men and women’ in the Foufoulde language.
In this way, Sankara was able to incorporate the three main languages of the region and to represent the people’s true nature.
He also changed the flag to incorporate the pan African colours in a bid to break away from the country’s colonial past. It features red and green stripes with a yellow star placed over them.
Here are five reasons to visit the land of the upright people
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…
Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…
Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…
Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…
Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…
In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…
AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…
Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…
Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…
An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…
Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…
Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…
Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…
Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…