Burkina Faso

Events and Festivals

Tabaski Festival

In addition to Ramadan and the Feast of Eid al Ftir, Muslims of Burkina Faso also celebrate the Tabaski Festival, which involves sacrificing a ram. Traditionally, fathers of the house are tasked to purchase, slaughter and prepare the animal, while the women cook rice and sweet drinks. The date is dictated by the lunar calendar.

Festival International de la Culture Hip Hop

Otherwise known as Waga Hip Hop, this annual festival is one of the biggest of its kind in West Africa. This celebration of urban cultures is usually held in mid-October, attracting thousands of international artists and media. In addition to hip hop, the festival also celebrates beat-boxing and other forms of vocal tunes not only in Ouagadouga, but in other cities such as Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou, Fada N’Gourma, and Pô.

Festival Jazz

Held in Ouagadougou and Bobo, the Jazz Festival of Burkina Faso features some of the biggest names in music on the continent. It is marked by performances from established names, as well as rising stars.

Festival des Masques et des Artes

FESTIMA or the Festival of Arts and Masks feature inspiring performances from different masked dance troupes hailing from West Africa. The main objective of this biennial event is to protect and promote the rich tradition of mask-making in Burkina Faso.

Festival Panafricain du Cinema

Held in various countries throughout Africa, FESPACO or the Panafrican Film Festival celebrates film and filmmakers screening their best work and builds stronger connections and relationships between industry professionals. FESPACO attracts participants from all over Africa and beyond. The top prize is the prestigious Etalon de Yennenga award, which honors the best national film to showcase “Africa’s realities.”

Semaine National de la Culture

Also known as National Culture Week of Burkina Faso, this festival is the most widely celebrated cultural event in the country. It alternates with the Panafrican Film Festival and features a wide range of spectacles including trade fairs.

Weather

Burkina Faso is hot year-round. The hottest months are March to May, when average daytime temperatures are around 38º C and nights rarely drop below 25º C. Temperatures are known to have reached close to 50º C in large parts of the country. The wet season lasts from the end of May well into September, early October. Although temperatures are a bit lower, the high humidity makes this time even more severe to travel around. From December to February is the driest period of the year, but at this time the hot, dry and dusty Harmattan wind can make things feel uncomfortable. On average, the north and east are somewhat hotter and drier compared to the central and (south)western parts of the country.
As you see, it can become difficult to choose a certain time of year, as there is almost always either heat, humidity/rainfall or dusty winds, or sometimes a combination. November might be the best month, when the rains are over, the Harmattan has to start and temperatures are not at their highest.

Getting there

Plane

Air Burkina is the national airline of Burkina Faso and is based at Ouagadougou Airport (OUA). International destinations include Abidjan, Accra, Bamako, Cotonou, Dakar, Lomé, Niamey and Paris. Air France flies to the latter as well. Other destinations are Brussels with Brussels Airlines, Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc and Algiers with Air Algérie and Tripoli and Libreville.

By Car

If you are lucky enough to manage it to Burkina Faso by car, there are possibilities of getting to other countries from here. Border crossings are at Niangoloko for Ivory Coast, Porga for Benin, Hamale for Ghana, Sinkasse for Togo, Kantchari for Niger and Koloko or Tiou for Mali. Borders usually are open during daylight hours and closed when it is dark as a general rule.

By Bus

There are frequent bus connections to neighbouring countries. Buses leave from Ouagadougou to Cotonou (Benin), Acrra via Tamale and Kumasi (Ghana), Bobo-Dioulasso to Hamale (Ghana), Ouagadougou to Bamako via Sikasso and Segou taking 15 hours to Bamaoko (Mali), Bobo-Dioulasso to Mopti taking 15 hours (Mali), Ouahigouya for Koro taking 2-4 hours (Mali) and onwards to Mopti, Ouagadougou to Niamey taking 10-11 hours (Niger, also minibuses available) and Ouagadougou to Lomé taking 18 hours (Togo, also bush taxi's available but this takes more time).

Getting around

Plane

Between Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou there are flights with Air Burkina.

By Train

There is a daily services between Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, but services can be crowded and uncomfortable.

By Car

The road network in Burkina Faso is generally in an agreeable condition, although many side roads are unpaved and can be impassable after heavy rains. Car rental services in Burkina Faso are limited, but you can also rent one with a driver. Traffic drives on the right and you need to buy a temporary driving permit which you can get after showing your national or international driver's license. It's best to rent a 4wd and to try the car a day or so first, as renting cars is a new phenomenon in the country.

By Bus

There are plenty of buses and minibuses (all of which are locally known as 'cars') plying the routes between all major cities and towns at least daily, but often much more. Buses are relatively comfortable, cheap and fast.

By Boat

No useful boat connections exist in Burkina Faso.

Red Tape

A passport and a visa are required to enter Burkina Faso. You generally should obtain your visa in advance, although European Union citizens can obtain visas upon arrival at the airport (CFA10,000). French citizens now require to get a visa in advance at €70 for one entry. If you are not from the European Union, the cost of a 3-month, single entry visa is CFA28,300 and must be acquired in advance of your journey. The Burkina Faso embassy in Washington offers six-month, multiple-entry visas for USD100. US citizens only are eligible for a five-year, multiple-entry visa for USD140.

If coming by land, EU and US citizens are able to get a seven-day single entry visa for CFA10,000 at the border. As of July 2010, at the border with Ghana at Paga, they increased the price to CFA94,000, payable in cash (and the exchange rate offered at the border was 10-20% lower than market rates). No passport photos were required. They only were able to issue a 90-day visa. 2 passport photos and a yellow fever certificate are required (border crossing at Paga, in July 2010, did not ask for yellow fever certificate). Border police said that CFA10,000 visas were still available, but back in Accra. Border police also said that the 90-day visa was convertible at no cost to a 5-year visa for a US passport in Ouagadougou. Visas may be extended to 3 months multiple entry at the Bureau de Sureté de l'Etat which can be found in most major cities. To get the extension you should arrive before 09:00 (again with 2 passport photographs) and collect your passport again that afternoon.

Upon arrival, you may be asked to prove you've been vaccinated against Yellow Fever if you are travelling from within Africa. Failure to provide proof may result in either being forced to receive the vaccination at the airport, for a fee, or be refused entry into the country.

• At the Burkina Faso embassy in Bamako, Mali, a 30-day visa costs CFA 25,000 = 45 USD
• At the Burkina Faso embassy in Accra, Ghana, a 30-day visa costs GHS 146 = 30 USD and you get it on the same day. You need two passport photos.

Money

See also Money matters.

Burkina Faso uses the CFA Franc as a currency. The CFA Franc is divided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 francs while banknotes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 francs
The exchange range is fixed at approximately 656 CFA Francs for one Euro.

In Burkina Faso the West African CFA Franc (XOF) is used which has the same value as the Central African CFA Franc (XAF), but it's not possible to use both currencies in the same country.

Fourteen countries in Africa use this currency, eight in West Africa and six in Central Africa. The West African CFA Franc can only be used in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while the Central African CFA Franc can only be used in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Work

If you are interested in helping to save lives in Western Africa then Burkina Faso, hit by severe drought and poverty in the last decade, would be ideal for a charity-holiday. Medical staff are also sorely needed, so any volunteering doctors would be greeted warmly.

The Peace Corps is active in Burkina Faso and constitutes a large proportion of Americans living in the country.

Study

Burkina is a great country if you are interested in learning West African drumming. Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city, is perhaps the best place to learn to drum.

Language

The official language is French.
Mossi, Mooré, Dioula, Peul, Fulfuldé and Gourmantché are also spoken.

Eat

Main dishes include:

• Tô - a millet or corn flour based jello-like dish served with a sauce. Sauces commonly are okra-based (fr. "sauce gumbo" - tends to be on the viscous-side), peanut-based (fr. "sauce arachide"), baobab-leaf-based (not bad tasting, but very slimy), or sorrel-based (fr. "oseille", another green-leaf, a little sour). You eat this dish by breaking off some tô with a spoon (or, if you want to go local and your hands are washed, use your finger - just remember to use always the right hand, as the left hand is considered "unclean" because it is used for bathroom purposes) and dipping it into the sauce. Definitely an acquired taste.
• Foufou = a pizza-dough-like ball of starch served with a sauce. Made by pounding boiled ignames (sort of a super-sized version of a yucca-potato hybrid, called Yams in English). The sauce is usually tomato-based. Eaten in the same manner as tô.
• Ragout d'Igname = boiled igname in a tomato sauce. A beef and yam stew
• Riz Gras = Rice cooked in tomato sauce and flavored stock, often with onion. Sometimes served with extra sauce on top, but not a given.
• Riz Sauce (Rice and sauce) = Pretty self-explanatory. White rice usually served with a tomato or peanut sauce.

Sleep

All the main cities and other populous areas have hotels, ranging from a few luxurious ones to basic.

Drink

• Bisap - hibiscus leaf cold sweet tea, sometimes enhanced with mint and/or ginger (XOF25-50)
• Yamoku, or Gingembre - sweet ginger drink (XOF25-50)
• Toédo, or Pain de singe - sweet and "smoothie-like" in texture. Made from baobab fruit.
• Yoghurt - sweet dégué = yoghurt mixed with millet balls, sometimes couscous.
• Dolo - millet beer.

Health

See also Travel Health

Proof that you had a yellow fever vaccination is required upon entering Burkina Faso. Also you have to have a cholera stamp (proof of the fact you don't have the disease) when entering Burkina Faso overland.

It's a good thing to get your vaccinations in order before travelling to Burkina Faso. The general vaccination against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP) is recommended. Also both hepatitis A as well as typhoid would be recommended.

If you are staying longer than 3 months or have a particular risk (travelling by bike, handling of animals, visits to caves) you might consider a rabies vaccination. Vaccination against Tuberculosis as well as hepatitis B are also sometimes recommended for stays longer than 3 months. When staying longer than 6 months, vaccination against meningitis might be recommended, depending on your contact with other people and time of year. From December to June and in contact with people, this applies for stays of 6 weeks and longer already.

Like most African countries south of the Sahara, Malaria is prevalent in the country. Don't underestimate this tropical disease and take precautions. Buy repellent (preferably with 50% DEET), and sleep under a net. Dengue is present as well, especially in urban areas, but there is no vaccination.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Because of widespread civil unrest, terrorist attacks, crime and kidnappings, avoid all travel to Burkina Faso outside of the capital, Ouagadougou. Avoid all but essential travel to Ouagadougou.

As well, be aware of thieves in the big city. Violent assault is rare. Pickpockets and bag snatchers are something to watch out for in big cities, especially in Ouagadougou, where it is recommended not to carry a bag. The common, cheap green taxis in the big city can sometimes host thieves. Hold on to your purse, and keep your money safely tucked away. If you want to carry around a camera or other item that requires a bag, it is often safer to put it in one of the ubiquitous black "sachets" (plastic bags) that you get when you purchase something in a store, so that potential thieves will assume there's nothing of great value inside.

Before the unrest, female visitors rarely experienced any problems. Foreigners, especially white foreigners, frequently attracted significant attention, but the interest was mainly an attempt to sell you tourist items or overpriced goods. Indeed, the Burkinabé will show more patience and friendliness to the foreigner than to another Burkinabé, be it in a small village or in a big city.

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Burkina Faso is 226.
To make an international call from Burkina Faso, the code is 00.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website