This research seeks to elucidate the unique position of Burkina Faso in West Africa, focusing on its ethnic, religious, and national narratives as pivotal in shaping the aspirations of the jihadist...Show moreThis research seeks to elucidate the unique position of Burkina Faso in West Africa, focusing on its ethnic, religious, and national narratives as pivotal in shaping the aspirations of the jihadist group, JNIM. The study investigates JNIM's efforts to attain legitimacy in Burkina Faso, exploring both its long-term strategy and its potential divergent ambition of purely military and economic control. Central to this investigation is a comparative analysis of three forms of legitimacy in Burkina Faso: local pre-established, the state, and JNIM. The research employs David Beetham's (1991) threefold model of legitimacy, introducing a novel methodological approach to studying jihadist insurgencies in West Africa.Show less
Self-defence against terrorism, it hardly seems possible. Yet in Burkina Faso, groups like koglweogo and dozo are making a valiant attempt. How did these groups become part of the Burkinabe...Show moreSelf-defence against terrorism, it hardly seems possible. Yet in Burkina Faso, groups like koglweogo and dozo are making a valiant attempt. How did these groups become part of the Burkinabe security system?Show less
This paper researches Burkina Faso, an African country that is known for its performance of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a form of violence against women and girls. Does a higher level of...Show moreThis paper researches Burkina Faso, an African country that is known for its performance of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a form of violence against women and girls. Does a higher level of education for women decrease the performance of FGM in developing countries? The research is about FGM in Burkina Faso which eventually allows us to say more about the influence of educational levels on the performance of FGM in general. In Burkina Faso, we have seen a decrease in the prevalence of FGM over the last 10 years. Even though FGM has been banned since 1996 the practice is still very common. Even now more than 70% of girls and women underwent this operation (Equality Now, 2021). We will do a statistical analysis to show the relationship between education and the prevalence of FGM. We also highlight the social norms and convention theory that lay behind this causation. The findings indicate that a higher level of education increases the chance that a woman is uncircumcised, controlling for Type of Place of Residence, Religion, Worked in the Last 12 Months, Ever Heard of Female Cutting, Wealth, and Husbands/Partner’s Education. We also found that the odds of being uncircumcised rise when women have educated partners. When educated men become more willing to marry an uncircumcised woman it suggests a break, caused by education, from the social norms and beliefs that form the traditional practice of FGM within Burkina Faso.Show less
Burkina Faso may face severe consequences of climate change. Extreme climate events are predicted to happen more often in the coming years due to global warming, which may affect issues such as...Show moreBurkina Faso may face severe consequences of climate change. Extreme climate events are predicted to happen more often in the coming years due to global warming, which may affect issues such as food security. This thesis examines the Mossi population in Burkina Faso, through the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, in order to understand the extent to which culture shapes the vulnerability of Burkinabé rural livelihoods to climate change. Mossi culture is intrinsically related to their resource management. Collectivism is strongly present in the Mossi population in Burkina Faso, expressed in the sharing of vital resources with all members of the household. Ethnographic research has identified the importance of human capital, natural capital and social capital for Mossi livelihoods. Both labour, food, water and land are influenced by social capital which, in turn, is shaped by the culture of collectivism and sharing. Thus, the Mossi are more focused on the well-being of the entire community than their individual well-being. Yet, within these households, inequality based on age and gender is still present, specifically women will be more vulnerable to climate change due to the power relations embedded in the culture, as their adaptive capacity to climate change is more negatively affected.Show less
Burkina Faso is a West African state that continues to experience political troubles that stem from previous colonial rule. For four years in the 1980s there was a possibility that Burkina Faso...Show moreBurkina Faso is a West African state that continues to experience political troubles that stem from previous colonial rule. For four years in the 1980s there was a possibility that Burkina Faso could develop into a country capable of benefiting the majority of the population. However, following the assassination of Thomas Sankara, this hope did not extend beyond the four years he was in power. The recent uprisings, starting in 2014, have re-ignited past hopes of what Burkina Faso could have been and what it could yet be. The philosophies and actions of Frantz Fanon and Thomas Sankara remain relevant in understanding the reasons why Burkina Faso has not experienced the benefits that independence should have brought. They are also reference points for understanding how a favourable society might come about for the Burkinabé. Political social movements alone have had short term successes with regards to potentially changing the political governance of this West African State. What is important for the future of Burkina Faso is turning these short-term political gains into long-term political reality. It seems that governments, social movements and musicians combined will continue to have the most impact upon the future of Burkinabé civil society.Show less
The thesis treats the manifestation of the national pride of Burkinabe after the revolution of 2014. The inquiry is situated between the revolutions of 1984, when Thomas Sankara came to power, and...Show moreThe thesis treats the manifestation of the national pride of Burkinabe after the revolution of 2014. The inquiry is situated between the revolutions of 1984, when Thomas Sankara came to power, and the one of 2014, when his successor Blaise Compaoré has been overthrown. The analysis focuses on a fashion brand, musical videoclips and a political party all of them inspired by the concept of Burkindi, as developed in the aftermath of the last revolution. The method implemented to substantiate the analysis is the one of close reading, that enable to understand and discuss the cultural practices and beliefs together with the textual analysis of the cultural artifacts. In addition, the thesis describes the historical and political roots of Burkina Faso, in order to help the reader have the necessary background to understand the peculiarity of the concept of Burkindi, manifestation of the national pride of the Burkinabe people.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
New ICTs, such as mobile phones and social media, are increasingly being seen as catalysers for political engagement, the spark of revolutions, or breaking power relations between political elites...Show moreNew ICTs, such as mobile phones and social media, are increasingly being seen as catalysers for political engagement, the spark of revolutions, or breaking power relations between political elites and the ‘information poor’. They have been centralised in the explanation of the Arab Spring and the wave of popular uprisings that occurred from 2010 onwards. It is safe to say that new ICTs indeed play a role in how information is spread and how people are mobilised for protest. However, the need for a reflection on why these new ICTs have a part in the outcome of uprisings within its respective context was often lacking. Moreover, it has often been left undiscussed what happens after a revolution or popular uprising. Is there actual social or political change, or does it often lead to an illusion or deception? New ICTs can prove to be extremely useful in mobilisation, the creation and spread of information and awakening a sense of political agency. Nevertheless, a country’s history, and its social, political and economic context might prove to be just as important when understanding the complexities of popular uprisings and their aftermath. This thesis discusses the case of Burkina Faso, where in the period of one year, the population rose up twice to demand change, justice and accountability. In October 2014, the Burkinabè massively hit the streets and within a ‘ten day revolution’ they ousted Blaise Compaoré who had been in power for 27 years. In September 2015, the Burkinabè again hit the streets to condemn a coup d’état that was executed by the former right-hand of Blaise Compaoré. Both uprisings were successful, meaning that those protesting achieved their short-term goals of ousting Blaise Compaoré and stopping a coup d’état. However, the question remains if they ensured change on the long-term and why new ICTs played a role in these successes. This thesis draws upon six months of extensive fieldwork in Burkina Faso and months of employing digital ethnographies, to understand if, why and how new ICTs played a role in the growth, outcome and aftermath of the Burkinabè uprisings. It argues that new ICTs played a major role in both uprisings because it brought together a collective of like-minded people and it ensured rapid mobilisation. However, we should be careful in putting them at the forefront of the explanation of political unrest and uprisings, because the socio-political context, historical background, existing political tensions and social structures may affect its effects.Show less
This paper researches tone in Bobo Madare North, a Niger-Congo, Mande language (ISO 639-3: bbo), spoken in Mali and Burkina Faso, closely related to Sya. After examining its basic principles...Show moreThis paper researches tone in Bobo Madare North, a Niger-Congo, Mande language (ISO 639-3: bbo), spoken in Mali and Burkina Faso, closely related to Sya. After examining its basic principles regarding tone, a limited overview of tone in the verb system is given. The paper proceeds to investigate tone in the noun system. Morphologically simple nouns, inflection (pluralisation), some compounding and derivation, as well as tone processes happening across word boundaries (definite and possessive constructions) are investigated. The author makes use of her own research data, applying principles of autosegmental phonology for her analysis. Bobo Madare North has three underlying tones with automatic and non-automatic downstep, tone spreading and (local?) upstep.Show less
