Burkina Faso takes decisive step toward operationalizing Instit....

By adopting two decrees on Thursday, March 19, 2026, appointing the members and president of the Steering Council of the Institute of Black Peoples-Farafina (IPN-Farafina), the Council of Ministers has taken a decisive step toward operationalizing what promises to be a major instrument of African sovereignty.

More than a mere administrative formality, this decision concretizes a precious legacy: the vision of President Thomas Sankara, who made cultural emancipation a pillar of the continent’s struggle for dignity.

The relevance of the Institute lies in its fundamental mission: promoting cultural renaissance and the scientific influence of Africa and its diaspora.

In a context where the continent aspires to shed the last vestiges of ideological tutelage, having a structured institutional framework to think, analyze, and disseminate knowledge from Africa is an imperative necessity.

To this end, a college of twelve personalities with diverse profiles was appointed, skillfully blending academics, journalists, and experts recognized for their Pan-African commitment.

At the head of this Steering Council, the government placed Claude Aimé Tassembedo, a teaching researcher whose intellectual rigor is widely acknowledged.

He will be supported by influential figures from the media and intellectual landscape, including Franklin Nyamsi, Nathalie Yamb, Abdoul Niang, and Sogoyou Kokou Keguewe.

Their mission will be to define the institution’s strategic roadmap, giving it a clear political and ideological direction.

The strength of IPN-Farafina also lies in the complementarity of its anchoring. Alongside these strategists, a technical and academic corps composed of Sié De Bindouté Da, Serge Bayala, Boukary Nebie, Eric Wilfrid Yirim Zouré, Wendlarima Hyacinthe Ouédraogo, San Simon Coulibaly, and Zakaria Koumaré will provide the necessary expertise in fields as essential as sociology, diplomacy, finance, and scientific research.

With this plural configuration, the Institute of Black Peoples-Farafina clearly positions itself as a strategic lever for intellectual and cultural sovereignty.

Now equipped with its first governing bodies, the institution can officially launch its activities with a Pan-African vocation, becoming the crucible where the Africa of tomorrow is forged: liberated, educated, and proud of its roots.

Maurice K.ZONGO