“Burkina Faso ya noma, noma, fan ya sida, Faso noma!”

Imagine with me that Jay-Z’s song just came on the radio…TURN IT UP!!  “I’m from New York, (something, something) where dreams are made, there’s nothing you can lose (something, something…I’m mumbling because I never know words to songs…and then here it comes, full voice) IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, NEW YORK!”  Aww shucks! I know you know the feeling of excitement felt singing that song.   I guess I can call it in some respects the hip hop New York anthem.  Jay-Z then goes on to tell about how awesome it is to be from New York, I assume considering the chorus, but you cannot always trust my skills on song lyrics…lol.  But I think it is safe to say that most people think the same thing I do because they probably don’t know all the words either.  Nonetheless, there is a sentiment of true loyalty.  It’s a song that connects New Yorkers everywhere, and hey, people who are not from New York seem to be more excited about the song so they can perpetrate their connection to a place that most of them have never even visited.  All of a sudden they have a “New York accent” and tell you about the one place they have heard of or some distant cousin who supposedly lives there…am I ranting?  My point is the song evokes pride for a place that does help dreams to come true.  It’s the land of opportunity for many, and a place so many people call home.  Stay with me…

“Burkina Faso ya noma, noma, fan ya sida, Faso noma (something, something) NOMA, NOMA! Lafi beme, ligidi beme (something, something…I’m mumbling because I never know words to songs….and then full voice…) BURKINA FASO YA, NOMA, NOMA. FAN YA SIDA, FASO NOMA!”  I will translate loosely.  Obviously, the song is about Burkina Faso (the landlocked country colonized by the French, surrounded by Ghana, Mali, Niger, Ivroy Coast in West Africa) and if you can put two and  two together, I am sure you have figured out that the song is about how awesome it is and it a song of pride and joy.  Similar to Jay-Z’s song, it’s kind of the young people of Burkina’s anthem.  Well it was pretty popular the last time I was there…who knows now, they might have a new one…just like Jay-Z’s will soon be out of style.  None the less, they words pretty much say “Burkina Faso is truly, truly awesome (or using slang terms that fit, the bomb/ sweet/ bum).  Health is here, money is here, everything is awesome!”  Do you feel the momentum?  I am getting excited just thinking about the song and the feeling that I had in parties when everyone started singing and dancing to the song!  And well, like the Jay-Z song, this song expresses the loyalty and pride one has for their home.  As you can imagine, I am on the bandwagon and I sing the song sometimes louder than actual Burkinabe…lol. 

Burkina Faso is an awesome place, with amazingly hospitable people.  It’s a place that “I want to go where everybody knows your name, (doom doom doom doom-this is me playing the air piano) and they’re always glad you came…” and people are sad to see you leave.  Holidays are full of food folks and fun, at parties everybody dances, your neighbors check on you and your family everyday and it’s almost impossible to not find someone to talk with and share a story, laugh or joke.  Burkina Faso is awesome.  Well, it’s awesome and has some struggles.

Burkina Faso is considered the 2^nd poorest country in the world.  Most persons are subsistence farmers, meaning, they farm to be able to eat and they also engage is small commerce.  The national literacy rate is approximately 26%.  Of the total population of about 15 million, few are able to attend school and many do not complete their education past primary school.  Young boys are favored to send to school, so the young girls literacy rates are lower than that of boys.  But girls' empowerment and education is on the rise.  The infrastructure is growing, but paved roads are few, transportation is a test of patience, and electricity and plumbing is not always consistent, or in existent depending on where you go in the country.  But despite the struggles, I love it and call it like a second home.  I spent 2 years of my life there as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2006-2008 and I am on my way back for another 10 months as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer. 

Despite New York’s struggles with crime, poverty, overcrowding, overpricing, pigeons, and sanitation, people from their still have pride.  And so can a small developing country like Burkina…

**These opinions are my own and do not reflect the Peace Corps, Unicef, or any other organization to which I am affiliated.**