SOVEREIGNTY IN BURKINA FASO: The Traoré regime decolonizes history-geography textbooks
As part of its « assumed sovereignty », Captain Ibrahim Traoré is undertaking a profound overhaul of education. A new 190-page textbook is now being distributed to teachers to break with the colonial legacy and teach the history and geography of Faso differently.
It is a small revolution in the classrooms. A self-proclaimed heir of Thomas Sankara and leader of the Progressive and Popular Revolution (PPR), the de facto president of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has decided to tackle a pillar of cultural domination: school textbooks. The objective is clear: to decolonize knowledge.
A 190-page lexicon and pedagogical manual has been officially distributed to all teachers. It introduces a new teaching method for Burkinabe students, centered on patriotism and cultural sovereignty.
The reform is reflected first in the appearance of new chapters, absent from the old programs inherited from the colonial period. Two major chapters are being introduced: « The Confederation of Sahel States » to understand the new regional geopolitical architecture, and « The predation of Faso’s natural resources by the West » to analyze the country’s economic history from a sovereignist angle.
Then, it is the vocabulary itself that is being rethought to change the paradigm. The instructions in the new manual are precise:
- We no longer speak of « colonizer » but of « Invader »
- We no longer speak of « explorer » but of « Spy »
- Devaluing terms such as « problems » or « weaknesses » are replaced by « Opportunities » or « challenges »
- The word « ethnic group », considered divisive and colonial, is replaced by « Sociocultural group »
Finally, as a strong symbol of this break, the expression « Heavily Indebted Poor Countries » (HIPC), perceived as stigmatizing and stemming from the Bretton Woods institutions, is purely and simply removed from the new school textbook.
Beyond a simple pedagogical reform, this approach is part of the overall vision of the current authorities: to promote patriotism by highlighting national heroes, to strengthen cultural sovereignty and to definitively turn the page on the colonial heritage in the minds of young Burkinabe.
✍️ Prospère CAKPO (Intern)
À propos de cet auteur
