Yatenga Province

Yatenga
Province

Location in Burkina Faso

Provincial map of its departments
Country  Burkina Faso
Region Nord Region
Capital Ouahigouya
Area
 • Total 6,990 km2 (2,700 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 627,193(est.)
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT 0)

Yatenga is one of the provinces of Burkina Faso, located in the Nord Region of the country. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya (also known as Waiguya). This city served as the capital of the kingdom of Yatenga,[1] a powerful kingdom out of the many Mossi kingdoms, but its influence decreased in the century following French colonisation. The city is famed today for being home to the Naba's (traditional king's) compound and the tomb of Naba Kango.

History

Kingdom of Yatenga

Yatenge was historically a powerful kingdom in the region. It was founded as a Mossi state along with Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Gourma by invaders from neighbouring Ghana. Each of the Mossi states (including Yatenga) possessed a strong military that was able to repel attacks from hostile tribes and nations.

When the European powers began their scramble for territory in Africa in the 19th century, France brokered a deal making Yatenga a French protectorate. Following the annexation of the other Mossi states, the area was governed as Upper Volta until the nation's independence on August 5, 1960.

Education

In 2011 the province had 588 primary schools and 57 secondary schools.[2]

Healthcare

In 2011 the province had 60 health and social promotion centres (Centres de santé et de promotion sociale), 20 doctors and 207 nurses.[3]

Culture

The Yatenga region is renowned for its unique style of Mossi masks. They are tall, vertically oriented, and concave-faced. They are considered to be some of the best examples of Mossi art available today.

A prominent dance of the Yatenga region is the liwaga.[4][5]

Departments

Yatenga is divided into 11 departments:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Trillo, Richard (2008-06-02). "Ouahigouya and the Yatenga state". The Rough Guide to West Africa. Rough Guides Limited. ISBN 9781405380683.
  2. ↑ "La région du Nord en chiffres" (PDF). Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD). 2011. p. 6.
  3. ↑ "La région du Nord en chiffres" (PDF). Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD). 2011. p. 6.
  4. ↑ "Conseil International de Solidarité avec le Burkina-Faso". www.cisab.org. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  5. ↑ "NAABA KANGO (Danse traditionnelle Liwaga) | Lafi Bala". www.lafibala.com (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-10.

Coordinates: 13°35′N 2°25′W / 13.583°N 2.417°W / 13.583; -2.417

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