Burkina Faso Moves to Rewrite Colonial-Era Narrative in Schools
Burkina Faso is set to overhaul the teaching of history, geography and civic education as the government seeks to remove colonial-era perspectives from school curricula and place greater emphasis on African identity and achievements. The changes are expected to affect lessons for students from the new academic year.
The Minister for Higher Education, Moumouni Zoungrana, said the review would address what the government considers negative and demeaning descriptions of Africans in existing educational materials. Officials want students to learn more about African achievements and resistance to colonial rule, rather than having their history presented mainly through defeat and European influence.
The revised materials are not yet available in schools, but the education ministry has issued teachers guidance on terminology and sections of the curriculum that should be changed. Under the proposed approach, historical figures involved in European expansion in Africa would be described in terms that reflect the impact of colonial invasion, while African resistance leaders would receive greater recognition.
Burkina Faso, which gained independence from France in 1960, has increasingly placed national identity and cultural sovereignty at the centre of its public policies. The curriculum review is part of that broader push, with the government seeking to influence how a new generation understands the country’s history, its relationship with colonialism and the role of Africans in shaping their own past.
