Sourou: The ‘Proud of my San Culture’ Festival (FESTIFCS-T) brought the city of Tougan to life from April 3 to 5 to the rhythms of San culture. The second edition of the Festival ”Proud of my San Culture of Tougan” (FESTIFCS-T) lived up to all its promises in the city of Tougan, Sourou province, Boucle du Mouhoun region.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the festival started on April 3, 2025, with a women’s cycling race and included several activities such as traditional wrestling, flute initiation for young boys and girls, a conference on traditional marriage in San country, and performances by traditional dance troupes from Sourou and Nayala.
The traditional wrestling competition, a key element of San culture, was won by Sabou Boro in the open category. He expressed his satisfaction and praised the spirit of fair play of his opponents, stating, “I’m very happy. It wasn’t easy. Everyone here struggles well. Only, I was the luckiest, with God’s help. The most important thing is social cohesion and the preservation of our culture.”
Henry Zerbo, president of the organizing committee, representing promoter Jonathan Boro, remarked on the success of the festival despite the prevailing security context in the province. “We are pleased with the organization of this second edition of the festival. The context did not make certain organizational aspects easier, but we accomplished the essentials by bringing together wrestlers from several localities and dance troupes from Sourou and Nayala,” he said.
Ouss©ni Kabr©, president of the Burkinab© wrestling federation, attended the festival’s closing and suggested that wrestling remains a cultural sport in San country. He appreciated the level of wrestlers from the Sourou province, stating, “From what I saw this evening, I can assure you that the level is very high and I saw wrestlers who were still eager to continue despite there being a fall.” He also congratulated the organizers for the success of the second edition.