Water and Land in Sahel, The case of Burkina Faso. ITA

This video show the situation about the water and Land in Sahel. In particular show the case of Burkina Faso after Sankara died.After president Sankara's death and after the European interference reaffirmed, water and land are still two valuable resources for daily life. The uninterrupted exploitation carried out by multinationals is only making the problem worse.In 2005 -- 2006 about twenty years after the murder of Thomas Sankara, president of Burkina Faso, author of Burkinabe revolution and one of the most innovative African leaders, people could notice in Sahel some warning signs of a severe famine, such as the one occurred in Burkina Faso during the 70s. Some natural events made worse and worse the availability of resources. The cause is to be searched in agricultural politics carried out by the governments during colonial period and restarted after Thomas Sankara's assassination. Sahel inhabitants have always had a deep relationship with the two main resources for their support: water and land. Since always people interact with these resources through their work, moving and religion. Some parts of the country show important climate and territorial differences, but growers, thanks to their masterly use of agricultural techniques and a careful cultures selection has always got sufficient food resources. Unfortunately when colonial period began, the best lands, rich of water and minerals, started being exploited by private companies for the growth of cotton and sugarcane. Such situation made impossible for local growers to exploit fertile lands and they are banished in arid and less productive areas. The people working in plantations are underpaid (from 0,4 to 0,7 € a day) and those who made themselves persuade to leave traditional cultures for cotton and sugar, were compelled to undersell their products on the market. Such situation never allows getting overproduction of food and magnifies the unfavourable climate situation or natural effects that cause severe food insufficiency, as it happened in the last two years. Often in Europe we connect famine with climate, but famine is normally caused by the impossibility of the people to exploit their land. Thomas Sankara, during his premiership, tried to solve this situation. He tried to limit foreign companies' influence in domestic politics giving growers a more effective mentality for the management of their land. Further to this and other reforms Sankara was killed in 1987. In Burkina Faso everybody agrees on saying the murder was supported by the French government and organised by Blaise Compaoré, Burkinabe president in charge. After Sankara's death, the reformist activity regressed and nowadays, twenty years later, Burkina Faso meets again into the possibility of a catastrophic famine. All that despite a few people in the world could establish during the ages a relationship of complete tie with their land. In this background during the years the interventions of humanitarian associations for development and help projects increased. The interventions were steered into children's education and improvement of sanitary conditions. In the same time professional training and local handicrafts production were supported and thanks to micro credit institution ethnic and local trade initiatives were born. The aim is to improve people's quality of life, making them financially self-sufficient and giving them cultural and social means allowing them to set themselves against the evil political choices of the government.

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News & Politics

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• Burkina
• Faso
• Sahel
• Touareg
• Mossi
• Peul
• Sankara
• Compaore
• Terzani
• Africa
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