Burkina Faso. English. |
Burkina Faso
International Religious Freedom Report 2003
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice.
There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area of 105,689 square miles, and its total population is 12,200,000. There is no single dominant religion. Exact statistics on religious affiliation are not available; however, based on the information from 1998, the Government estimates that approximately 55 to 60 percent of the population practice Islam, approximately 15 to 20 percent practice Roman Catholicism, approximately 5 percent are members of various Protestant denominations, and 20 to 25 percent exclusively or principally practice traditional indigenous religions. Statistics on religious affiliation are very rough because syncretistic beliefs and practices are widespread among both Christians and Muslims. A majority of citizens practice traditional indigenous religions to varying degrees, and adherence to Christian and Muslim beliefs is often nominal. Almost all citizens are believers in a supernatural order, and atheism is virtually non-existent. The large majority of the country's Muslims belong to the Sunni branch of Islam, while minorities adhere to the Shi'a, Tidjania, or Wahhabite branches.
Muslims are concentrated largely around the northern, eastern, and western borders, while Christians are concentrated in the center of the country. Traditional indigenous religions are practiced widely throughout the country, especially in rural communities. Ouagadougou, the capital, has a large Christian population, and Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second largest city, is mostly Muslim. The country has a small Lebanese immigrant community, whose members are both Muslim and Christian.
Members of the dominant ethnic group, the Mossi, belong to all three major religions. Fulani and Dioula groups overwhelmingly are Muslim. There is little correlation between religion and political affiliation. Religious affiliation appears unrelated to membership in the ruling party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress, or any other party. Government officials belong to all of the major religions.
Foreign missionary groups are active in the country, and include the Assemblies of God, the Campus Crusade for Christ, the Christian Missionary Alliance, Baptists, the Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Mennonite Central Committee, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Pentecostal Church of Canada, the World Evangelical Crusade, the Society for International Missions, Seventh-day Adventists, and numerous Roman Catholic organizations. Islamic missionary groups active in the country include the African Muslim Agency, The World Movement for the Call to Islam, the World Islamic League, and Ahmadia.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels strives to protect this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. Islam, Christianity, and traditional indigenous religions are practiced freely without government interference. There is no official state religion, and the Government neither subsidizes nor favors any particular religion. The practice of a particular faith is not known to entail any advantage or disadvantage in the political arena, the civil service, the military, or the private sector.
The Government requires that religious groups register with the Ministry of Territorial Administration. Registration confers legal status but entails no specific controls or benefits. There are no penalties for failure to register. All groups are given equal access to registration, and the Government approves registrations in a routine fashion. Religious groups are taxed only if they carry on lucrative activities, such as farming.
Religious groups enjoy freedom of expression in their publications and broadcasts unless the judicial system determines that they are harming public order or committing slander; this has never occurred. The Ministry of Security grants publishing licenses, and the Superior Council of Information (CSI) grants broadcasting licenses. The Government never has denied a publishing or broadcasting license to any religious group that has requested one. The procedures for applying for publishing and broadcasting licenses are the same for both religious groups and commercial entities. Applications first are sent for review to the Ministry of Information and then forwarded to the Ministry of Security. If the Government does not respond to the application for a publishing license within the required timeframe, the applicant can begin publishing automatically. For radio licenses, before beginning broadcasts the applicant must wait until the Authority for the Regulation of Telecommunications (ARTEL) assigns a frequency and determines that the group's broadcasting equipment is of a professional quality. The Ministry of Security has the right to request samples of proposed publications and broadcasts to verify that they are in accordance with the stated nature of the religious group; however, there were no reports of religious broadcasters experiencing difficulties with this regulation. In the case of radio stations, the CSI must be informed of the name of the broadcasting director as well as of the general programming content. Once the broadcast license is granted, the Government regulates the operation of religious radio stations in accordance with the same rules that apply to commercial and state-run stations. Stations must show that their workers are employed full-time, that ARTEL has been paid for the use of assigned frequencies, and that employee social security taxes and intellectual property fees have been paid. There are no special tax preferences granted to religious organizations operating print or broadcast media.
Religious instruction is not offered in public schools; it is limited to private schools and to the home. Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant groups operate primary and secondary schools. The State monitors both the nonreligious curriculum and the qualifications of teachers employed at these schools. Although school officials must submit the names of their directors to the Government, the Government never has been involved in appointing or approving these officials. The Government does not fund any religious schools. Unlike other private schools, religious schools pay no taxes if they do not conduct any lucrative activities. The government tries to ensure that religiously oriented schools offer the full standard academic curriculum.
Foreign missionary groups, including Protestants, operate freely and face no special restrictions. The Government neither forbids missionaries from entering the country nor restricts their activities; however, missionary groups occasionally face complicated bureaucratic hurdles in pursuit of particular activities. For example, some Christian medical missionaries have difficulty operating in the country because of a partial restriction on foreign physicians. The restrictions are not aimed at religious groups.
The Government has established the following religious holidays as national holidays: Eid Al-Adha, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Mouloud, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Ramadan, and Christmas Day. There is no evidence that these holidays have a negative effect on any religious group.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to
the generally free practice of religion.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom. Religious tolerance is widespread, and members of the same family often practice different religions.
There were no significant ecumenical movements during the period covered by this report.
There were no reports of religious conflict or ritual murders during the period covered by this report; however, there were allegations of witchcraft. The Ministry of Social Action and the Family maintains a shelter in Ouagadougou for women forced to flee their villages because they were suspected of being sorceresses.
In the past, there occasionally were violent clashes within sectors of the Muslim community, and tensions still exist between and within some groups of Muslims due to leadership disputes. There were no reports of violent clashes within sectors of the Muslim community during the period covered by this report.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses issues of religious freedom with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights. The Embassy also maintains contacts with leaders of all major organized religious denominations and groups in the country.
Released on December 18, 2003
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Burkina Faso | 
|
|
 |
| Introduction | Burkina Faso |
| Background: |
Independence from France came to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in 1960. Governmental instability during the 1970s and 1980s was followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate south every year to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. |
| Geography | Burkina Faso |
| Location: |
Western Africa, north of Ghana |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
13 00 N, 2 00 W |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| Area: |
total: 274,200 sq
km water: 400 sq km land: 273,800 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than Colorado |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Mouhoun
(Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m |
| Natural
resources: |
manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 12.43%
permanent crops: 0.18% other: 87.39% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
250 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
recurring droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas |
| People | Burkina Faso |
| Population: |
12,603,185 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 47.3%
(male 3,007,675; female 2,960,697) 15-64 years: 49.8% (male 3,000,411; female 3,271,594) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 151,976; female 210,832) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.64% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
44.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
105.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
46.11 years female: 46.78 years (2002 est.) male: 45.45 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.26 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
6.44% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
350,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
43,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Burkinabe (singular
and plural) adjective: Burkinabe |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Mossi over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani |
| Religions: |
indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10% |
| Languages: |
French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write total population: 36% (2001) male: NA% female: NA% |
| Government | Burkina Faso |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary republic |
| Capital: |
Ouagadougou |
| Administrative
divisions: |
30 provinces; Bam, Bazega,
Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo,
Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga,
Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou,
Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala, Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro, Zondomo, Zoundweogo), however, this change has not yet been confirmed by the US Board on Geographic Names |
| Independence: |
5 August 1960 (from France) |
| National
holiday: |
Republic Day, 11 December (1958) |
| Constitution: |
2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted |
| Legal
system: |
based on French civil law system and customary law |
| Suffrage: |
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President
Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Ernest Paramanga YONLI (since 6 November 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 87.5% percent of the vote note: President COMPAORE faces an increasingly well-coordinated opposition; recent charges against a former member of his Presidential Guard in the 1998 assassination of a newspaper editor signify an attempt to defuse chronic areas of dissatisfaction elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005, and allowing the president to be reelected only once; it is unclear whether this amendment will be applied retroactively or not; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17 elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court; Appeals Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or RDA-ADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Confederation for Federation and Democracy or CFD [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP [Noyabtigungu Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram OVEDRAGO] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP; Group of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Tertius ZONGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Anthony HOLMES embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - U. S. Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 306723 FAX: [226] 303890 |
| Flag
description: |
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| Economy | Burkina Faso |
| Economy
- overview: |
One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. About 90% of the population is engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased. Maintenance of macroeconomic progress depends on continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms designed to encourage private investment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $12.8 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4.7% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 31%
industry: 28% services: 41% (2000) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
45% (2001 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40% (1994) (1994) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
48 (1994) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.5% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
5 million (1999) note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1999) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 90% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $316 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
| Industries: |
cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
14% (2001 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
282 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 71%
hydro: 29% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
262.26 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock |
| Exports: |
$265 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
cotton, animal products, gold |
| Exports
- partners: |
Venezuela 14.7%, Benelux 12.2%, Italy 9.6%, France 7.0% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$580 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
capital goods, food products, petroleum |
| Imports
- partners: |
Cote d'Ivoire 25.1%, Venezuela 23.4%, France 17.0% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.5 billion (1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$484.1 million (1995) (1995) |
| Currency: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
| Currency
code: |
XOF |
| Exchange
rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Communications | Burkina Faso |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
53,200 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
25,200 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
all services only fair domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 3, FM 17, shortwave 3 (2002) |
| Radios: |
394,020 (2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (2002) |
| Televisions: |
131,340 (2002) |
| Internet
country code: |
.bf |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2002) |
| Internet
users: |
25,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Burkina Faso |
| Railways: |
total: 622 km (517
km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border and 105 km from Ouagadougou
to Kaya) narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km unpaved: 10,505 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
none |
| Ports
and harbors: |
none |
| Airports: |
33 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
| Military | Burkina Faso |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 2,688,072 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 1,379,010 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$40.1 million (FY01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.4% (FY01) |
| Transnational Issues | Burkina Faso |
| Disputes
- international: |
two villages are in dispute with Benin |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
www.4humanrights.org : www.hrd1.org : DONATE
