Burkina Faso: SENAP to reintroduce the values of patriotism to young people

From 06 to 12 November 2023, the National Patriotism Week (SENAP, in French) will be held at the Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou.

This initiative is the brainchild of young students from the public and private sectors, as well as community leaders, notably the Movement of Young People Committed to Development (MOJED).

With the theme «Patriotism, a factor of resilience in the face of insecurity in Burkina Faso», this SENAP first edition aims to re-instil in young people the values of patriotism, civic-mindedness and good citizenship, and to help strengthen the sense of belonging to Burkina Faso.

The project is based around training and awareness-raising activities for young people in Burkina Faso, particularly pupils, students, internally displaced persons, shopkeepers and company directors.

Companies producing local products will be given the opportunity to present their products to the people of Burkina Faso through an exhibition.

A day of reintegration for internally displaced persons will involve, among other things, organising training courses in koko dunda loincloth making, beadwork, soilless farming and solar energy to enable them to reintegrate socially and have sources of income.

All this will be crowned by a big national day of Patriotism which will consist of visiting the Security Forces (FDS), and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) who are lying on hospital beds in order to galvanise them.

In this critical phase that Burkina Faso is going through, we need to return to the founding values of the nation.

And this patriotism through action must begin with love of one’s country and one’s fellow man through concrete actions, in particular integrity, civic-mindedness and citizenship.

Maiga DAO