Etiquette in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (French:Burkina Faso) is an ancient civilization in West Africa, located in the upper reaches of the Volta River in western Africa. The country is also Taiwan's largest diplomatic state with Hu in Africa. At the beginning of independence, it was called "Upper Volta", but in 1984 it was changed to Burkina Faso, which means "the country of upright men and gentlemen." Because most of the territory is an inland plateau and is located on the edge of a desert, the arable area is small; although there is no desert, there are vast areas in the west where the soil is sandy and very poor; therefore, it has always been a very poor country and one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. The capital is Ouagadougou, the official language is French, and the main ethnic languages are Morsi, Dioula and Peur.

Burkina Faso has a total population of 18.91 million (2014). 50% of its residents believe in primitive religions, 30% believe in Islam, and 20% believe in Catholicism. There are also about 60 different tribes in the country, all with their own traditional customs. It is divided into two ethnic groups: the Volta and the Mantai: the Volta accounts for about 70% of the country's population, mainly including the Mosi, Gurunsi, Gurmanze, Bobo and Lobi; the Mantai accounts for about 28% of the country's population, mainly including the Samo, Marka, Busan Serb, Senufo and Diura. In the northern region, there are also some Peur people engaged in nomadic farming and Hausa people engaged in business.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Burkina Faso is a "country of gentlemen." Many families in Ouagadougou, the capital of the country, have no habit of locking doors at night. Some local or Lebanon merchants will hand over the keys to the porters at the doorsteps for safekeeping at night without having to worry about anything wrong. In West Africa, men in Burkina Faso are known to be a good labor force. Groups of Burkina Faso workers can be seen in almost every major commercial port in West Africa. They work as shop assistants during the day and sleep outdoors in front of the store at night, which not only facilitates work, but also helps keep watch the store.

Burkina Faso's "strong men" are famous for their ability, but it is local women who support the foundation of the country's economy-agriculture and retail industries. Some Burkina Faso families practice polygamy, with husbands working outside and wives contracting farm work and small businesses at home. Of course, children are equal, regardless of their mother's order. I met a friend from Burkina Faso in Benin. Every harvest season, his two wives would bring corn to visit him. Because they couldn't afford to rent a house, the three of them slept outdoors in front of the boss's house at night, but they enjoyed themselves. According to them, this kind of life is "commonplace for the Bukina people."

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Although Burkina Faso was the earliest country in Africa to have a television station, until now, except weekends, TV programs have only been broadcast for 6 hours a day, and there is only one channel. As a result, many people regard watching movies as their most important pastime. Cinema business in Ouagadougou is booming. Ordinary movie tickets are less than 10 yuan each. In fact, the people of the country have always been proud of the local film industry, and the capital Ouagadougou has the name of the "African Film Capital". The Ouagadougou Pan-African Film Festival has been held every two years since 1969.

The headquarters of the African Film Production Center, the African Film Academy, the African Film Distribution Company, the Pan African Film Workers Alliance and other institutions are all located in Ouagadougou. The film department opened by the University of Ouagadougou also enrolls students from African countries. The film department of the University of Ouagadougou is also known as the "highest film institution in Black Africa."

In addition, there is also an extremely lively and prosperous "African Market", where traditional gold, silver, and copper jewelry crafts from West Africa, as well as traditional handicrafts such as embroidery, carpet weaving, weaving and carving are all in full view.

In addition, many tribes in Burkina Faso have always adhered to traditional customs, such as having holes and wooden inserts on their upper and lower lips; tattooing various patterns and decorations on their faces. Women generally also like to wear gold and silver jewelry.

No matter when and where Burkina Faso people are, they are very warm, generous and polite as long as they meet foreign guests. When meeting guests, they are generally called "Mr.","Your Excellency","Madam","Madam","Miss", etc. They always shake hands to male guests, and often smile, nod, and bow to female guests. Greetings.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that the Burusian people in Burkina Faso do not like to be photographed at will. To take pictures of them, they must first obtain the consent of the other party; some tribes strictly prohibit people from calling their chiefs by their names.