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- Christianity in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It shares borders with Mali to the Northwest, Niger Republic to the Northeast, Benin Republic to the Southeast, Togo and Ghana to the South, and Cote d’Ivoire to the Southwest. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou, while the official language is French. The country has a human population of 20,321,378 and several ethnic groups. These are Mossi, 52%; Fula, 8.4%; Gurma, 7%; Bobo, 4.9%; Gurunsi. 4.6%; Senufo, 4.5%; Lobi, 2.4%; Tuareg, 1.9%; and Dyula, 0.8%. The dominant religion is Islam at 73.8%, with Christianity at 16.3%, traditional African religion, 9% and other faiths, 0.9%.
Modern History
A former French colony, it gained independence in 1960 as Upper Volta. In 1983, Captain Thomas Sankara seized power and adopted radical left wing policies but was ousted by Blaise Compaore, who went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in a popular uprising in 2014. The spread of jihadist violence from neighbouring Mali prompted the army led by Captain Ibrahim Traore to seize power from the civilian administration of President Marc Kabore on September 30, 2022.
Modern History
A former French colony, it gained independence in 1960 as Upper Volta. In 1983, Captain Thomas Sankara seized power and adopted radical left wing policies but was ousted by Blaise Compaore, who went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in a popular uprising in 2014. The spread of jihadist violence from neighbouring Mali prompted the army led by Captain Ibrahim Traore to seize power from the civilian administration of President Marc Kabore on September 30, 2022.
God’s Canvass
Burkina Faso consists of two major types of landscapes. The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain, which forms a gently undulating scenery with isolated hills in some areas. On the other hand, the southwestern axis forms a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Tenakourou, with an elevation of 749 meters is found. The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers traversing it. These are Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta. The basin of River Niger also drains 27% of the country’s landmass. The fauna and flora of Burkina Faso are presented below.
Fauna
The country has one of the most diverse fauna in West Africa, comprising of 147 mammal species, 330 aquatic species, including 121 species of fish. Animals native to Burkina Faso include crocodiles, elephants, hippopotamuses, buffalos, monkeys, lions, giraffe and various species of antelope. Some of them are presented below.
Flora
The flora of the country is composed of 2,067 plant species. The most important families in terms of species richness and abundance are grasses and legumes. Some of the plant species are shown below.
Beaches
Culture
Culture is manifested in all aspects of life in Burkina Faso. Art is closest to the heart of the people, with a large handicraft community in Gorom Gorom and Ouagadougou. Dancing is also a key element of the Burkinabe culture, used as a demonstration of praise to animal spirits, to solicit blessings from them. Dubbed the home of music in Africa, the country hosts a number of international and local music festivals throughout the years, including the widely celebrated Festival des Masques et des Artes.
Traditional Attire
Burkinabe women wear long, cotton skirt wrapped around the waist. Colourful tops are worn over the skirts. Men usually wear cotton shirts and trousers, along with embroidered shoes. Western clothes are popular in urban areas, especially in cities. Some notable Burkinabe wears are shown below.
Culture
Culture is manifested in all aspects of life in Burkina Faso. Art is closest to the heart of the people, with a large handicraft community in Gorom Gorom and Ouagadougou. Dancing is also a key element of the Burkinabe culture, used as a demonstration of praise to animal spirits, to solicit blessings from them. Dubbed the home of music in Africa, the country hosts a number of international and local music festivals throughout the years, including the widely celebrated Festival des Masques et des Artes.
Traditional Attire
Burkinabe women wear long, cotton skirt wrapped around the waist. Colourful tops are worn over the skirts. Men usually wear cotton shirts and trousers, along with embroidered shoes. Western clothes are popular in urban areas, especially in cities. Some notable Burkinabe wears are shown below.
Status of Christianity in Burkina Faso
Christianity is a minority religion in the country. Christians constitute about 30% of the population, with Roman Catholics representing 23.3% and Protestants 6.7%. Many Christians in parts of the country are facing existential threat due to growing Islamic militancy. In other areas, Muslims, Christians and animists or traditionalists are neighbours, and do intermarry. Christ commanded us to make disciples of all nations, not to cohabit with their idols and demons. Therefore, we must intercede with all seriousness for all unsaved souls in the country.
Our responsibilities as Christians go beyond accommodating the nuances of our neighbours and being kind to them. It is our duty to pray them into the Kingdom of God. In the light of this, let us use the following prayer points to pray for all unsaved people in Burkina Faso, using their President, Ibrahim Traore as point of contact.
Prayer Points
- Ask the Father to pour out His Spirit on all unsaved souls in the country to bring them to repentance.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit would remove the blindfold of satan from their hearts and minds; and unstop their ears that they might listen to the good news of Jesus Christ.
- Pray that the Father would send workers into His harvest in the country.
- Ask the Father to judge all demonic principalities and powers holding the people in bondage and destroy their hold on the lives of the people.
- Pray that God would destroy all demonic infrastructure and platforms through which satan and his demons operate in the country.
- Ask the Father to uproot all faulty spiritual foundations in the lives of all Christians in the country.
- Pray that God would sanctify all Christian believers with His word and empower them with the Holy Spirit for the ministry of the word and prayer.
- Ask the Father to send His warrior angels to protect His children against every onslaught of Islamic militants.
- Pray that God would open doors for Christians to minister in Muslim dominated areas.
- Ask the Father to stretch forth His hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of His Son Jesus Christ in Burkina Faso, for His glory (Acts 4:30).
Intercession Checklist
Use the political map of Burkina Faso provided in the text to choose a city, region or town for focused prayer. Present the selected geographical space to the Father and tell Him that you are claiming it for Christ along with its people. The anchor Scripture is Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as Your possession.”
**** Burkina Faso Country Profile, https://www.bbc.com; Wildlife of Burkina Faso, https://en.m.wikipedia.org; Burkina Faso – History and Culture, https://www.iexplore.com; The Culture of Burkina Faso, https://www.worldatlas.com.