5th August : Independence day of Upper Volta

 5th August: Independence day of Upper Volta / Burkina Faso

Upper Volta, now called  Burkina Faso got its full independence from French rule on August 5th, 1960. Maurice Yameogo became the country's first president.

With its inland location within Western Africa, the region did not attract colonial attention until the late nineteenth century. The French army officer Louis-Gustave Binger visited the Morho Naba in 1888. France started obtaining a protectorate over the region from 1895 and by 1898, the kingdoms that now make up the majority of the region corresponding to modern-day Burkina Faso had become a French protectorate.

In 1919, the colony of Upper Volta was established. It was dismantled and reconstituted several times. The present borders were recognized in 1947 when it was becoming an overseas territory of the French Union. On 11 December 1958, The Republic of Upper Volta became a self-governing autonomous republic within the French Community.  Independence was proclaimed on August 5, 1960.

In 1984, Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People." by Sankara, whose government was responsible for several concrete achievements.

Issued on 25th July 1969

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