Burkina Faso Adopts Traditional Attire As School Uniform

According to the Agence d’Information du Burkina(Burkina Information Agency), the Minister of National Education, Literacy and the Promotion of National Languages, Joseph André Ouédraogo, announced the decision at a press conference in the capital, Ouagadougou on Friday, August 11, 2023.

The minister said the country’s authorities had decided to use Faso Dan Fani, a popular handwoven traditional fabric in the country, as the textile for school uniforms. He added that the decision was made at the Council of Ministers meeting.

He explained that the decision will be effective at the start of the next academic year, 2023/2024, at the primary and secondary education levels. The minister said the experiment will first be conducted in three urban communities namely Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou and Sabou.

It is said that the Faso Dan Fani fabric is similar, in terms of the range of colour and texture, to the one used for the weaving of Ghanaian smocks or fugu. In Ghana, many call it “Fugu Fabric”.

What’s your take on this? Is this a welcome development?