Burkina Faso Rectification Day: October 15
Rectification Day is a public holiday in Burkina Faso.
When the words “Burkina Faso” are uttered, it’s easy to imagine that they originate from a single language and have significant meaning within that language. However, the name of this small African country is completely artificial. It’s not until an analysis of the country’s most popular languages is made that the origin is understood. Using roots from those local languages, we understand it to mean “country of the free men”. Curiously, the holiday Rectification Day is celebrated not for Thomas Sankara who gave the country its name, but rather for the man who took Sankara’s place.
History of Burkina Faso Rectification Day
The territory that is now Burkina Faso was established as a colony, French Upper Volta, by the French beginning on March 1, 1919. In the 1950s the French worked towards giving autonomy to the people of Upper Volta, and the country finally gained its independence in 1960.
The country then went through periods of military and civil rule with many coups and depositions. On August 4, 1983, Thomas Sankara, a young ambitious Marxist, ousted the conservative faction in power and took control of Upper Volta backed by the powerful trade unions and left-wing parties. In 1984, Sankara gave the country its current name, Burkina Faso. Sankara implemented a number of changes to eradicate corruption and provide housing, school and clinic improvements to the people.
However, Sankara eventually became isolated for his Marxist views, and on October 15, 1987 Sankara was killed during a bloody coup attempt. Sankara’s colleague Blaise Compaoré took control of the government that day and began a long chain of policies aimed at “rectification” of the Burkinabé revolution. However, Compaoré’s involvement in the coup is highly contested, and there has been controversy about the democratic legitimacy of his 1991 and 1997 elections.
Burkina Faso Rectification Day Traditions, Customs and Activities
While Rectification Day is officially celebrated by the government, its popularity with the local Burkinabé is in question. Indeed, there
are those that celebrate Compaoré and the democratic changes he has made towards global integration, yet many youth in Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa look to Sankara as a martyr for the ideas he implemented in the 1980s.
Other interesting posts:
- Burkina Faso Commemorates the Proclamation of the Republic
- Burkina Faso Revolution Day
- Burkina Faso Independence Day
- Burkina Faso Observes Revolution Day
- All Saints Day is observed by Christians
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