Burkina Faso grants official recognition to customary and religious marriages
In a historic move affirming cultural identity and national sovereignty, Burkina Faso has officially recognized customary and religious marriages as equal to civil unions. This landmark decision marks a clear departure from inherited foreign legal models and places endogenous values at the heart of Burkinabe society.
Under the leadership of President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the government has declared that marriage, a sacred union between two people should not be reduced to a mere administrative act.
Whether celebrated at a town hall, mosque, church, or under the authority of traditional leaders, all marriages now carry the same social and legal legitimacy.
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The reform rectifies a long-standing inequity for millions of Burkinabe who, for generations, had their unions solemnized through ancestral or religious rites without full state recognition.
It also strengthens the bond between modern institutions and living traditions.
Beyond legal acknowledgment, this step reflects Burkina Faso’s broader determination to break from colonial-era systems and define its own path in accordance with its sociocultural realities.
Olivier TOE
