Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou or Wagadugu is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It has a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais. The spelling of the name Ouagadougou is derived from the French orthography common in former French African colonies.
Ouagadougou's primary industries are food processing and textiles. It is served by an international airport and is linked by rail to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast and, for freight only, to Kaya. There are several highways linking the city to Niamey, Niger, south to Ghana, and southwest to Ivory Coast. Ouagadougou has one of West Africa's largest markets, which burned down in 2003 and has since reopened with better facilities and improved fire-prevention measures. Other attractions include the National Museum of Burkina Faso, the Moro-Naba Palace, the National Museum of Music, and several craft markets.
History
Foundation and regional importance
Ouagadougou was founded possibly as early as 1050 by the Soninke Wangara diaspora from the Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadu. The name Wagadugu means 'home of the Wagu', the Soninke subgroup that ruled Ghana. Ouagadougou is a Francophone spelling of this name.The Mossi people, moving north in the 14th century, conquered Wagadugu around the same time they raided Walata, contributing to the decline of the Mali Empire. According to legend, the city was taken by Oubri, a grandson of Ouedraogo.
The eponymous Wagadugu Kingdom was founded in the 15th century, which became the main center of the Mossi States around 1495. The 10th Moro Naba, Nyadfo, was the first Moro-Naba to live at Ouagadougou, in the middle of the 17th century. It became the permanent capital under the 21st Moro Naba, Zombre, a century later. The Moro-Naba Ceremony is still performed every Friday by the Moro-Naba and his court. The 24th Moro Naba, Doulougou, built the first mosque in Ouagadougou early in the nineteenth century.
Colonialism
On 5 September 1896 French forces entered Ouagadougou and burned the city to the ground. In 1919 the colonial administration made Ouagadougou the capital of the Upper Volta territory, extensively rebuilding the town. In 1954 the railroad line from Ivory Coast reached the city, spurring massive population growth.Independence
On 15 January 2016, gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked central Ouagadougou at the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel. 28 people were killed, and at least 56 wounded; after a government counterattack, a total of 176 hostages were released the morning after the initial attack. Three of the perpetrators were also killed. The jihadist insurgency continued with major attacks in 2017 and 2018.Climate
Ouagadougou's climate is hot semi-arid under Köppen-Geiger classification, and closely borders with tropical wet and dry. The city is part of the Sudano-Sahelian area, with annual rainfall of about. The rainy season stretches from May to September, with an average temperature of. The cool season runs from October to February, with a minimum average temperature of. The maximum temperature during the hot season, which runs from March to April, can reach. The harmattan and the West African Monsoon are the two main factors that determine Ouagadougou's climate. Being further north, Ouagadougou's warmest months are slightly hotter and drier than those of Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second most populous city.Government
Ouagadougou's first municipal elections were held in 1956.The city is divided into five arrondissements, consisting of 30 sectors, which are subdivided into districts. Districts of Ouagadougou include Gounghin, Kamsaoghin, Koulouba, Moemmin, Niogsin, Paspanga, Peuloghin, Bilbalogho, and Tiendpalogo.
Ouagadougou's communes have invested in huge city-management projects. This is largely because Ouagadougou constitutes a 'cultural centre' by merit of holding the SIAO and the FESPACO. Moreover, the villages' growing affluence allows for such investment, and the population's rapid growth necessitates it.
| Arrondissement | Population |
| Baskuy | 180,512 |
| Bogodogo | 374,473 |
| Boulmiougou | 366,182 |
| Nongremassom | 188,329 |
| Sig-Noghin | 163,859 |
Education
Though literacy in Ouagadougou is not high, there are three universities in the city. The largest is the state University of Ouagadougou, which was founded in 1974. In 2010 it had around 40,000 students.The city's official language is French and the principal local languages are More, Dyula and Fulfulde. The bilingual program in schools was established in 1994.
International schools include:
Ouagadougou's inhabitants play a wide array of sports, including association football, basketball, and volleyball. There are tournaments and activities organized by the local authorities. The Stade du 4-Août is the home of Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou, the city's main football team.
Health
Ouagadougou has both state and private hospitals. The two state hospitals in the city are the Centre hospitalier national Yalgado Ouedraogo and the Centre hospitalier national pédiatrique Charles de Gaulle. Despite that, the local population still largely can only afford traditional local medicine and the "pharmacopée".Transport
Air transport
serves the area with flights to West Africa and Europe. Air Burkina has its head office in the Air Burkina Storey Building in Ouagadougou.Rail
Ouagadougou is connected by passenger rail service to Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou and Ivory Coast. As of June 2014, Sitarail operates a passenger train three times a week along the route from Ouagadougou to Abidjan. There are freight services to Kaya in north Burkina Faso and in 2014 plans were announced to revive freight services to the manganese mine at Tambao starting in 2016.Economy
The economy of Ouagadougou is based on industry and commerce. Some industrial facilities have relocated from Bobo-Dioulasso to Ouagadougou, which has made the city an important industrial centre of Burkina Faso. The industrial areas of Kossodo and Gounghin are home to several processing plants and factories. The industry of Ouagadougou is the sector that fuels urban growth, as people move to the city from the countryside to find employment in industry. The Copromof workshop in Ouagadougou sews cotton lingerie for the French label "Atelier Augusti."Ouagadougou is an important commercial centre. It is a centre where goods are collected and directed to rural areas. With a large consumer base, large amounts of energy sources, raw materials for buildings, agricultural products and livestock products are imported to the city.
The economy is dominated by the informal sector, which is characterized by petty commodity production, and workers not necessarily having salaries. Traditional, informal trade is widespread and concentrated around markets and major roads, as well as in outlets in neighborhoods. While the formal economy consists of modern economic practices with workplaces having qualified, stable labor forces, or more traditional forms of business such as family businesses.
The tertiary sector is also an important part of the economy. This comprises communications, banking, transport, bars, restaurants, hotels, as well as administrative jobs.
Twin towns – sister cities
Ouagadougou is twinned with:- Bordeaux, France
- Briton Ferry, Wales, United Kingdom
- Grenoble, France
- Kumasi, Ghana
- Kuwait City, Kuwait
- Leuze-en-Hainaut, Belgium
- Lyon, France
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Zhengzhou, China
Parks
Another notable park in Ouagadougou is the "L'Unité Pédagogique", which shelters animals in a semi-free state. This botanic garden/biosphere system stretches over and also serves as a museum for the country's history.
"Jardin de l'amitié Ouaga-Loudun", with a green space that was renovated in 1996, is a symbol of the twin-city relationship between Ouagadougou and Loudun in France. It is situated in the centre of the city, near the "Nation Unies' crossroads".
Culture
There are a number of cultural and art venues, such as the Maison du Peuple and Salle des Banquets, in addition to performances of many genres of music, including traditional folk music, modern music, and rap.- National Museum of Music: exhibits all the musical instruments of Burkina Faso.
- Musée de Manega: also exhibits musical instruments of Burkina Faso, Mossi rifles and other cultural items. Located northwest of the city.
- "Naba Koom": a statue depicting a woman handling a calabash to pour water. The statue faces the railway station, welcoming travellers into Ouaga. The place bears the name of an important chief in Burkina Faso's history.
- "Laongo": east of the city, features enormous granite slabs that were designed by various sculptors. The exhibit displays works of art from five continents.
- "La Place du Grand Lyon": a monument that reflects the relationship between Burkina Faso's capital and Lyon in France. It is located near the French cultural centre George Melies and features an imposing lion. A zoo called "Parc Animalier de Ziniaré": located east of the city in the hometown of the former president Blaise Compaoré.