French Upper Volta
Burkina Faso, 1919–1958. Draft, not yet reviewed
Upper Volta was a colony of French West Africa established in 1919 in the territory occupied by present-day Burkina Faso. It was formed from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and the Côte d'Ivoire. The colony was dissolved on 5 September 1932, with parts being administered by the Côte d'Ivoire, French Sudan and the Colony of Niger. After World War II, on 4 September 1947, the colony was revived as a part of the French Union, with its previous boundaries.
Seat of power: Ouagadougou
No rulers documented for this era yet.
Culture
- Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Upper Volta was dominated by the empire-building Mossi/Mossi Kingdoms, who are believed to have come up to their present location from present-day northern Ghana.
- When the French arrived and claimed the area in 1896, Mossi resistance ended with the capture of their capital at Ouagadougou.
- The indigenous population was highly discriminated against. For example, African children were not allowed to ride bicycles or pick fruit from trees, "privileges" reserved for the children of colonists.
- A revision in the organisation of French overseas territories began with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of 23 July 1956.
Picture
Ouagadougou Cathedral, built in the 1930s at the time of French West Africa, was dedicated on 19 January 1936.
Image: kyselak, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.