Mouhoun: The Burkinabe Federation of UNESCO Associations, Centers and Clubs (FBACU), organized a capacity building workshop on April 5 and 6, 2025, in D©dougou for around thirty young schoolchildren and students from the city. The theme of the workshop was "Living heritage: discovering and preserving the culture of Burkina Faso".
According to Burkina Information Agency, the aim of this meeting was to raise awareness among young schoolchildren and students about the richness and diversity of Burkina Faso's cultural heritage and the need to preserve it. FBACU launched the project "Living Heritage: Discovering and Preserving the Culture of Burkina Faso" to support the efforts of the Burkinabe State in the preservation and protection of Burkinabe living heritage.
This project is part of Burkina Faso's National Economic and Social Development Plan (PNDES) and the Transition's emergency program. Since culture is considered a driver of development, the project contributes to the achievement of the PNDES to consolidate resilience, security, social cohesion, and peace.
Adama Kabr©, vice-president of FBACU, noted that although students organize cultural activities, these activities do not often reflect cultural values and instead promote counter-values. He suggested that this issue might be due to a lack of supervision or knowledge of cultural heritage. The federation initiated this training to address these inadequacies and allow schoolchildren to discover their rich living heritage.
The D©dougou meeting marks the second stage of a series of training sessions that began in Banfora and will cover the Cascades, Boucle du Mouhoun, and North regions. In each region, around thirty people will be trained in cultural heritage, which is expected to positively impact schools in terms of cultural activities.
Dr. Vincent S©dogo, Secretary General of the Burkinabe National Commission for INSECO, explained that the workshop aims to equip beneficiaries to integrate culture and tourism into the socio-educational activities of students across different establishments. The idea is to make culture and tourism instruments for education in peace, tolerance, and patriotism.
Dieudonn© Tougfo, President of the special delegation of the commune of D©dougou, emphasized that the quest for sovereignty involves reappropriating cultural values. He stated that cultural activities should express true African identity rather than being disconnected from realities.
Over the two days, participants gained knowledge on how to save masks. The initiative encourages participants to draw lessons and use their heritage as a reference for shaping a better Burkina Faso.