André Washington

In the far northwest of Burkina Faso that borders Mali, is the Boucle du Mouhoun region. Here lies the Kossi Province that includes the major towns of Barani (home of the Amirou), Kombori, Bomborokui, Nouna (administrative capital), Dokui, Doumbala, Djibasso, Madouba, and numerous small villages. This is Burkina Faso’s southernmost edge of the Sahel zone. Population: 52,710 (Est.). Main ethnic groups: Fulani, Samo, Marka, Bwaba, and Bobo. Languages: Baraniire/Fulfulde, Dioula, and French. The Festival Culturel et Hippique de Barani (FECHIBA) ..350.3km [4h 51 min.] west-northwest of Ouagadougou, on surfaced road lies the bustling town of Nouna. Another 7km of bumpy, dusty, dirt road I arrive in Barani ..a quaint village of seated royalty also famed home of ‘West Africa’s Cowboys.’ It’s the hot dry season, after the harvest, and the customary period for festivals and ceremonies. Today was opening day of the FECHIBA annual equestrian festival. Began in 2000, this extraordinary event celebrates the tradition of horsemanship and unique skill of the renown Fulani chevalier. FECHIBA honors centuries old horse culture dating back to the founding of the Emirate of Barani ..echoing the tradition and colorful pageantry of the Durbar festivals celebrated throughout the Sahel. It’s said that America’s ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ were descendants of this culture. With horsemen arriving from as far away as Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and Nigeria, the festivities were underway with an excited momentum that would go non-stop, for three days ..sunup to sundown. The festive atmosphere was filled with melodious chants by griots praising and recalling the lineal history of the Amirou Al Haji Sidibe Saali, Chief of the Kossi Province. The people of Barani, neighboring villagers, and visitors from afar turned out in full regalia ..everyone stunningly gorgeous from head-to-toe! Young women wearing intricately braided, amber and glass beaded hairstyles, trimmed with nickel coins. The young men in colorful turbans or the leather detailed, wide brimmed straw hats of Fulani tradition. In a display of homage to the Amirou, riders – dressed in their grandest boubous – danced their finely adorned horses to the syncopated rhythms of Weltaari music and performed masterful horsemanship to the awe and amusement of the hundreds of spectators. Later there were the haaro (horseraces), lutte (wrestling matches), feasting ..and by nightfall, singing and dancing Denke Denke went on until sunrise. February 2010, February 2011, March 2013©Me; my cameras; and Fujichrome

Across the breadth of the African continent – Red Sea coast, East Africa to the West African Atlantic coast – stretches the vast zone known as the Sahel. The Sahara Desert to the north and Savanna landscapes to the south, the semi-arid Sahel is a gorgeous, sometimes harsh region plagued by periodic drought and encroaching desertification. The Sahel zone is a land that is home to beautiful and colorfully diverse culture in magical places spanning fourteen countries that lay within. The northern half Burkina Faso lies entirely in the Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian zones with the southern half of the country lying in the Sudanian zone. I traveled up north on numerous occasions, spending several weeks throughout the Oudalan, Soum, Yatenga, Seno, Namentenga, Sanmatenga, Bam, and Passore Provinces. Major towns include Ouahigouya, Djibo, Thiou, Dori, Gorom Gorom, Sebba as well as the small towns and villages of Bani, Markoye, Tin-Akof, Essakane, Oursi, Deo, Arbinda, Kongoussi, and Ramatoulaye.

Heading southwestward from the capital Ouagadougou 350km (220 mi) away, on the main road [5 hours by bus] you reach Bobo Dioulasso…. BURKINA FASO’s second largest city ..located in the Houet Province. Verdant landscape with a pleasing climate ..this wettest region of the country is the hub of Burkina’s agricultural belt, thriving cotton industry, and a major trade center. In “Bobo” you will see remnants of a traditional living and customs alongside reminders of a colonial past…. on the streets, in the architecture, the dress, the day-to-day ..and in the Bobo Dioulasso Grande Marché. Population: 537,938 (Est.). Ethnic groups: Bobo, Bwaba, Fulani, Senufo, Gurunsi, and Lobi. Le Grande Marché de Bobo Dioulasso ..is a walled pavilion that occupies a large area (roughly the size of three New York City blocks) consisting malls, halls, aisles, and passageways where hundreds of shops; semi-closed stalls; and open-air stalls spill out onto the surrounding streets that make up an entire market zone. Massive ..this walled market’s interior is a maze, dimly lit by in some spaces ..or brightly illuminate by ambient daylight in others. At every bend the air is filled with the sweet smell of churai (artisanal incense) from various stalls along with fragrances burnt by churai makers to advertise their workshops…. the Grande Marché is alive with sellers, traders, and a constant flow of shoppers from as far away as Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. From every direction is a hum of activity as the business of haggling, exchanging of community news and gossip, blends with the sounds of warm greetings between family, friends, and tribes Nearly everything you would need or want can be found ..or arranged for in the Grande Marché…. From fresh fish and meats; to electronics and cellphones; tailors making traditional clothing alongside shops selling the latest (made in China) Western fashions; every possible beauty product; and the occasional hustlers hawking watches and fine gold jewelry Spent a lot of time in Bobo Dioulasso ..often visiting the Grande Marché ..a little shopping, mingling, and of course making photographs…. hanging out on the street where the women who ran the vegetable market are set up was one of my favorite spots ..especially Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, late afternoons till sundown when the crowds peaked. ..in 2011 I spent December through the New Year celebration of 2012 in Bobo with my dear friend Aley Sangare, wife Medina, and their three children. Medina frequented the Grande Marché and of course I grabbed my camera, a handful of film, and tagged along…. Each visit, Medina took a different entrance into the bustling pavilion with the intention of exposing me to another fascinating view ..plus, she loved to shop! ..and on a few evenings, Aley cruised the market where at any moment I’d stop the car…. jump out ..and shoot preplanned or completely unexpected photos! My photographic affair with the Le Grande Marché de Bobo Dioulasso begins!

On several occasions ..Several hit-and-miss occasions, I traveled the scenic eight-hour long route from Ouagadougou to Bobo Dioulasso to Banfora to the Kome Province. Destination: the village of Sindou. Situated in the Black Volta region of southwest Burkina Faso, this stunning, otherworldly landscape of towering, time sculpted rock formations; undulating peaks; and breathtaking outcrops lies in a forested zone bordering southeastern Mali and northern Cotê d’Ivoire…. this is the homelands of the Senufo The Senufo are a predominately animist West Africa people who are renowned for their artisan traditions in wood carving, woven cloths, and crafted adornment. They are mainly agriculturalist in the cultivation of cotton, corn, and peanuts – and within the mystic Dozo order, are skilled hunters and fierce soldiers (“West Africa’s Samurai”). As artisans, Senufo society is structured under different individual caste that include Fonombele (blacksmiths and basketry), Kulubele (woodcarvers), Kpeembele (brass casters), Djelebele (leather work), Tchedumbele (gunsmiths), Numu (smithing and weavers), as well as the Fejembele (hunters, musicians, potters, diviners, healers, and grave-diggers), all under a strict 7-year apprenticeship to initiation process that is passed from generation to generation. Throughout their vast ancestral region, Senufo music is well loved as they are adept at playing a broad range of wind, stringed, and percussive instruments. The people are a warm, kind, and generous people not to be taken for granted! Over time and history, they remain fierce defenders of their traditions and way-of-life having resisted the spread of Islam, European colonialism, and the onslaught of Christian missionaries…. This has placed the Senufo among the African societies that have largely preserved and maintained their culture, customs, and traditions. Spring of 2010, I had the fortune – and the luck of timing, to attend a traditional Senufo ‘wet funeral’ ceremony and the ‘dry funeral’ ceremony. The ‘wet funeral’ is the first part of an elaborate ritual that occurs a few days following a death. A year or more after the burial of the deceased the Yagbaga or ‘dry funeral’ takes place during the period between the end of the harvest season and the dry season. Dry funeral is the important purification ritual and bestows protection for the deceased in the afterlife. During this celebration of life and death, the entire village of the deceased, along with neighboring communities, transforms into a vibrant frenzy complete with pulsating music, a mystical air, with children scattering everywhere – led by colorfully adorned dancers wearing carved wood animal masks, from head to toe, that are used to drive out negative spirits and invoke the ancestors to welcome the deceased. The traditional spirit masks are crafted by clans from the surrounding villages as tribute to the ancestors. From sun up till sun down, and over days ..I felt and saw the spirits

My travels in southern Burkina Faso began in the lively town of Po, capital of the Nahouri Province. I headed south to explore the painted houses of the Kassena people in Tiebele, Tengosogo, and Tiakane. It was during the driest period just before the start of the rainy season. Ancestral lands of the Kassena people (of the Gurunsi ethnic group) cover part of the central-south region of Burkina Faso with neighboring villages spanning central-northern Ghana. The Kassena villages occupy a mostly flat, grassy savanna landscape, areas of lush dense bush, dotted with old growth forest, hills and scattered rock formations. Driving from Po was on a scenic route. Nearing my destination, I saw a few earthen house ruins with sun-faded traces of ornate wall paintings amid simple, relatively newer cement brick houses. I saw and felt a strong sense of place that hinted at what lied ahead ..and upon arrival in Tiebele I was immediately stunned by the living gallery of colorfully decorated earthen architecture. Over the next four days I was swept up in the magical vibe of the people, the place, and the unique culture. Every turn, unforgettable! I returned the following year for an extended stay. I spent days roaming the Tiebele villagescape photographing elaborate patterns, symbols, and the endless variations of painted houses that wound through the maze of alleyways, paths, and walls that curved and carved out the fortified village compound. This visit was after the rains, at the time when the women gather to repair and repaint their houses. I also spent more time walking around the more open layout of the Tengosogo compound. Tiakane was more spread out in a series of smaller individual house compounds. The skill and scale still amazing!