Burkina Faso — The Book Roads

Books from Burkina Faso

Monique Ilboudo

Jeanphi is a young man from the fictional West African city of Ouabany who dreams of escaping poverty and building a new life in Europe. Determined to shape his own destiny, he abandons the path his family has chosen for him and embarks on a dangerous migration journey across the Sahara. After being exploited by smugglers and deported from Morocco, he returns home disillusioned but unwilling to surrender his ambitions. His life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Elgep, an affluent French widower hoping to establish a vocational training centre for disadvantaged young people. Their encounter offers Jeanphi a possible route toward a different future, but it also forces him to confront questions about sexuality, identity, dependency, and the unequal relationships between Africa and Europe. In this thought-provoking novel, Monique Ilboudo examines the desperation that drives migration, the contradictions of humanitarian aid, and the social pressures that shape people’s decisions about where they belong.

2018

Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle

Thomas Sankara

Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle brings together two speeches by Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary leader and president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. In these speeches, Sankara argues that women’s emancipation is essential to achieving genuine social and political transformation. Drawing on the experiences of women in Burkina Faso, he examines how traditional gender roles, economic inequality, and social structures have contributed to women’s oppression. He challenges practices such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and polygamy, while advocating for women’s access to education, economic independence, and political participation. Sankara connects the struggle for gender equality with the wider fight against colonialism, imperialism, and economic exploitation. He calls on both women and men to challenge deeply rooted inequalities and take an active role in transforming society. The collection presents a vision of liberation in which women’s rights are inseparable from the broader pursuit of social justice and national independence.

1990

Famous authors from Burkina Faso

About Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, characterized by savanna landscapes, dry forests, seasonal rivers, and distinctive sandstone formations. Its population includes many cultural groups, particularly the Mossi, Fulani, Bobo, and Gourmantché, each with rich traditions of music, crafts, storytelling, and oral history.

Region: Africa

Literary Context

Burkinabè literature is deeply rooted in oral traditions, folklore, history, and community storytelling. Griots and storytellers have traditionally preserved genealogies, legends, historical events, and moral teachings through spoken performance. Modern literature developed largely through French, with writers exploring colonialism, independence, social inequality, political change, and cultural identity. Norbert Zongo, journalist and writer, became an important voice for social and political criticism, while Bernard Dadié—though Ivorian—also influenced the broader West African literary tradition. Contemporary Burkinabè writing continues to explore tradition and modernity, migration, identity, political instability, and the preservation of oral heritage.