Archive List for Burkina Faso

The Man Who Plants Baobabs: A Burkina Faso hero | Africa Direct

El Hadji Salifou Ouédraogo has nurtured thousands of baobab trees from tiny seeds to expansive forests for the past 47 years. The trees in turn help his family, his village and the Earth. Filmmaker Michel K Zongo’s uplifting film, The Man Who Plants Baobabs, meets this charismatic old man with a youthful spirit and a lifelong commitment to his trees, which are both a lifeline and a legacy for his community. Michel K Zongo is a cinematographer and director based in Burkina Faso. He has made three feature-length documentaries that have screened internationally and won several awards. He is also the artistic director of the Koudougou Doc Festival and has […]

Burkina Faso opens trial on 1987 Sankara assassination

A trial has begun in Burkina Faso for 14 people accused of involvement in the assassination of former President Thomas Sankara. Sankara came to power in 1983 and was shot dead four years later. He was a revolutionary leader who had called on African countries to default on unfair international debt. Among the suspects is former President Blaise Compaore. Compaore was deposed in 2014 following a popular uprising that brought an end to his 27-year rule. He lives in exile in neighbouring Ivory Coast and has refused to take part in the trial. His supporters see it as a political witch-hunt. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports. – Follow us on […]