Burkina Faso travel and accommodation guide

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BURKINA FASO - AFRICA - TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

Burkina Faso travel and lodging guide

Popular destinations in Burkia Faso:

Ouagadougou - Bobo-Dioulasso - Koudougou - Gaoua - Loumbila


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TRAVEL READING ON AFRICA:

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed on August 4, 1984 by President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" (or "upright land") in Mossi and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. Independence from France came in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in search of paid labour. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè or Burkinabé.
Burkina Faso

African Groups - Fulani People   by Wayne Kiltz

The Fulani Group are the largest nomadic group in the world. As a group they contain a vast array of diverse people who were conquered and became a part of the Fulani through the spread of Islam. The original Fulani are of North African or Middle Eastern origin and are characterized by having lighter skin, thinner lips, and straighter hair. Many Africans know them as "white people". The Fulani were the first group of people in West Africa to convert to Islam through jihads, or holy wars, and were able to take over much of West Africa and establish themselves not only as a religious group but also as a political and economical force. The Fulani are a very proud people; they are the missionaries of Islam and continued to conquer much of West Africa.

Burkina Faso manThe Fulani are primarily nomadic herders and traders. Through their nomadic lifestyle they established numerous trade routes in West Africa. Many times the Fulani go to local markets and interact with the people, getting news and spreading it through much of West Africa.

The most important object in Fulani society is a cattle. There are many names, traditions, and taboos concerning cattle. The number of cows a person owns is a sign of his wealth. This has caused significant conflict in recent months between the Fulani and other ethnic groups. The reason for this conflict is that the cows will many times go into the fields and eat the grains of local farmers.

As times goes on, the modes of transportation throughout West Africa have become more modernized. This modernization in transportation puts the Fulani at risk of losing their identity as nomads, and forces them to settle in farms and villages. This often creates other problems, as the Fulani are a very proud people of a unique culture and are used to ruling over the other people groups.

Burkina Faso

A distinctive difference between the Fulani and other African people is that the Fulani have a huge respect for beauty. Beauty is considered very important and one of the ways this is shown is through tattoos that are put all over the body. A distinguishing feature of a Fulani woman is her lips, which are many times a blackish color from the use of Henna or tattooing done on the mouth.

Being brave and fearless is also a very important aspect of the Fulani, and that is obvious by their numerous weapons.  The Fulani loans its traditions and expertise to its people. They are brought up at an early age to respect their weapons. One tradition is that when two boys reach coming of age, the two boys hit each other with their spears, not showing any pain but instead laughing. Many have died in these ceremonies, which are now against the law in many countries, but continue to be practiced.

Burkina Faso

The Fulani normally raise large amounts of cattle and have therefore settled in the large plain areas of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea. The Fulani hold to a strict caste system. The four caste subdivisions are the nobility, merchants, blacksmiths, and descendents of slaves of wealthy Fulani.

About the Author

The purpose of Africa Imports is basically twofold. The business goal is to serve our customers with the largest selection in the world of African and African inspired goods at low prices; and with a higher level of customer service than anyone else in our market. An additional goal; and the purpose behind the founding of this business; is to help provide a means of support for people in some of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the world. 


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Angola - Botswana - Burkina Faso - Cameroon - Congo - Eritrea - Ethiopia - Gabon - Gambia
Ghana - Ivory Coast - Kenya - Lesotho - Madagascar - Malawi - Mauritius - Mozambique
Namibia - Nigeria - Senegal- Seychelles - South Africa - Swaziland - Tanzania -
Tunisia - Uganda - Zambia - Zanzibar - Zimbabwe
 
 

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