Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou (WAH-GAH-doo-goo) is the
capital of
Burkina Faso. It is the country's largest city, with a population of 960,116 (
2000) and is the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. The city's name is often shortened to
Ouaga.
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Location of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso |
History
Ouagadougou is the capital of
Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso was called the Republic of Upper Volta when it gained independence from France in 1960. It was renamed Burkina Faso by
Thomas Sankara in 1984. The origin of the name Ouagadougou goes back to the 15th century. At that time, two different tribes, the
Yonyonse and the
Ninsi, inhabited the area. They were in constant conflict. This ended in 1441 when
Wubri, a Yonyonse hero and an important figure in
Burkina Faso's history, led his tribe to victory. He then renamed the area from "
Kumbee-Tenga", as the Ninsi had called it, to "Wogodogo", meaning "where people get honor and respect."
Ouagadougou is a corruption of Wogodogo.
[Commune Ouagadougou.(2005). Mairie de ouagadougou. Retrieved March 19,2006 from http://www.mairie-Ouaga.bf]Ouagadougou in general
Ouagadougou's primary industries are
food processing and
textiles. Ouagadougou is served by an
international airport, rail links to
Abidjan in
Côte d'Ivoire and to
Kaya in the north of Burkina, and a highway to
Niamey,
Niger.Being such a focal point, there are many
cinemas, alongside
nightclubs and French, American and
Zaka cultural centres. Ouagadougou is the site of
Ouagadougou Grand Market, one of the largest markets in
West Africa. Other attractions include the
National Museum of Burkina Faso, the
Moro-Naba Palace (site of the
Moro-Naba Ceremony) and several
craft markets. The spelling of the name derives from the
French orthography common in former French African colonies. If English orthography were used (as in Ghana or Nigeria), the spelling would be
Wagadugu.
Geography
Ouagadougou, situated on the central plateau (12.4° N 1.5° W), grew around the imperial palace of the
Mogho Naaba. Being an administration centre of colonial rule, it turned into an dense and important urban center. At the same time capital of the Mossi Empire and of Burkina-Faso since 1947, Ouagadougou became a veritable communal center in 1995.
Government
The first municipal elections were organized in 1956. Ouagadougou is governed by the Mayor, who is elected for a five year term, two senior councilors and ninety councilors.
The city is divided into 5 districts, 30 sectors. Districts of Ouagadougou include Gounghin, Kamsaoghin, Koulouba, Moemmin, Niogsin, Paspanga, Peuloghin and Tiendpalogo. Seventeen villages comprise the Ouagadougou metropolitan area. The area is about 21,930 ha. Estimated to 1,200,000 inhabitants, the population consists of 48% men and 52% women. The rural population is about 5% and the urban population is about 95% and the density is 6,249 inhabitants for every square kilometer, according to 1997 statistics.
Climate
The
climate of Ouagadougou is rather hot. The town is part of the Soudano-Sahelian area with a rainfall of 750mm per year. The rainy season stretches from May to October with an average temperature of 30°C. The cold season stretches from December to January, with a minimum temperature of 19°C. The maximum temperature during the hot season which runs from April to May is 40°C. The Harmattan (a dry wind) and the Monsoon represent the two main factors which determine the climate of Ouagadougou.
Ouagadougou City Map
Please see these external links:
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The Plan of Ouagdougou*
Burkina-Faso: Le plan de Ouagadougou.(2004). Le plan de Ouagadougou(Burkina-Faso)Tourism
Ouagadougou and its neighborhoods are very attractive places. There are a great many places worth visiting.
Parks
Among important parks which are recommended to be visited, is the "
Bangr-Weoogo" urban park. This park was in the past Mosse Chiefs Property and it was a sacred forest, as was anything inside, such as animals and plants. It was also a place of traditional initiation and a refuge for people. With the advent of colonialism it lost all special significance. The park was delimited in
1932 and limited on
October 9,
1936 disregarding its history. In 1985, constructions and innovations started in the park. Finally, in January 2001 the forest was baptized "Parc Urbain Brang-Weoogo", which means the forest of knowledge. Because of the many changes, there have been new regulations and set of objectives for the park. The area of the park is about 263 ha and it presently offers numerous facilities. Apart from the park that has just been discussed, another park called "
L'Unite Pedagogique" exists which shelters animals in semi-freedom. This botanic garden stretches out on an area of 8ha, and is at the same time a museum, wherein the country's history is exposed.
Other sites
Apart from the parks, Ouagadougou has a great number of places of interest such as monuments.
"
Naba Koom" is a statue depicting a woman handling a
calabash to pour water. The statue is 6m high and faces the railroad station, welcoming travellers into Ouaga. The place bears the name of an important Chief in Burkina-Faso's history.
Another site is "
Jardin de l'amitie Ouaga-Loudun" (Garden of Ouaga-Loudun Friendship), with a green space that was renovated in 1996. The garden is a symbol of the twin city relationship between Ouagadougou and Loudun in France. It is situated in the center of the town, near the "
Nation Unies'crossroads".
"La Place du Grand Lyon" is the respective monument to reflect the relationship between Burkina-Faso's capital and Lyon in France. Located near the French cultural Center George Melies, this monument shows an imposing lion.
A zoo, called "
Parc Animalier de Ziniare", located at 30km East of the city, can be included among the great tourist attractions of Ouagadougou.
Situated at 55km North-West of the city "
Musee de Manega" exhibits all the musical instruments of Burkina-Faso.
"
Laongo", a place located 30km East of the city has enormous granite slabs that were designed by sculptors. It has a special charm as it overflows with artistic potential from all five continents.
Education
Education is an important part of the life in Ougadougou. Literacy is not high, but there are currently ten universities across the city. The state
University of Ouagadougou was founded in 1974. The official language is French and the principal local languages are
More,
Djula and
Fulfulde. The bilingual programme in schools (French plus one of the local languages) was established in 1994.
Sport, Culture, and leisures
A wide array of sports, including
association football,
basketball, and
volleyball, is played by Ouagadougou inhabitants. There are sports tournaments and activities organized by the local authorities.
There a lot of culture and art venues, such as the
maison du peuple and
salle des banquets.
There are performances of many genres of music in Ouagadougou: traditional folk music, modern music,
rap.
Art and Crafts
Several international festivals and activities are organized within the municipality, such as
FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou), which is Africa's largest festival of this type,
SIAO (International Art and Craft Fair), FESPAM (Pan-African Music Festival), FITMO (International Theatre and Marionnette Festival) and FESTIVO. Furthermore, Ouagadougou is endowed with a craft value and this is the cause of the origin of the diversity of the artistic object.
[La Girafe.(2004). Ouaga-ca-bouge. Retrieved March 19, 2006 from http://www.Ouaga-ca-bouge.net]International Relations
The local administration all work together for the development of their community. It is in this unison that they also create links with the outside world. These links are essential because they contribute to improving the standing of Ouagadougou. They also affirm its luster, to spark collaborations, to prepare a charming way to welcome foreign visitors and partners.
Some partner towns
Here are some towns twinned with the city: Lyon (France), Grenoble (France), Quebec (Canada), Turin (Italy), Leuze (Belgium), San Minialo and Kuweit City (Kuweit). Concerning the management side of the city, the communes of Ouagadougou took the decision to invest in huge projects. This is largely due to the fact that Ouagadougou constitutes a 'cultural centre' by merit of holding the
SIAO (the international Arts and Crafts fair) and the
FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou). Moreover, affluence from the villages exists adding the fact that the population is growing at a rate rather fast.
Communications and Media
Communications and media contribute significantly to the development of the city. Local state funded media have been boosted, as city council members are trying to address problems, such as poor health care, prostitution, low literacy, and high criminality rates. To tackle these issues the population's awareness needs to be raised. As a result the media's importance is increased .
Hotels and Restaurants
There has been a recent increase in the quality of hotels and restaurants and there now a great number of four and five star hotels available.
[routard.com.(2006). Burkina-Faso. Retrieved March 26,2006 from http://www.routard.com]Health
There are both state and private hospitals. The two state hospitals in the city are the
Centre hospitalier national Yalgado Ouedraogo (CHNYO) and the
Centre hospitalier national pediatrique Charles de Gaule (CHNP-CDG), but there is a large number of hospitals and other health infrastructure. Despite that, the local population still trusts more traditional local medicine and the "pharmacope".
[Commune Ouagadougou.(2005). Mairie de ouagadougou. Retrieved March 19,2006 from http://www.mairie-Ouaga.bf]Transport
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Typical street scene. Shows the Place des Nations Unies in the center of the city. |
The citizens of Ouagadougou prefer the individual transport to public. The mostly use bicycles and motorcycles, but in recent years the number of cars has also increased. Ouagadougou is the third capital of two
coil engines. At office hours the melting of the two coil engines with the automobiles is a veritable spectacle.
[Commune Ouagadougou.(2005). Mairie de ouagadougou. Retrieved March 19,2006 from http://www.mairie-Ouaga.bf][routard.com.(2006). Burkina-Faso. Retrieved March 26,2006 from http://www.routard.com]Another popular form of transport are shared green cabs, which will take their passengers anywhere in town for about 300CFA. The downside is that they are slow.
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Ouagadougou Official site of the government of Ouagadougou
