CDIS | Burkina Faso's indicators

 

In 2008, the National Institute of Statistics and Demographics (INSD) estimated that select cultural activities contributed to 3.93% of the Burkina Faso’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which indicates that culture is responsible for a significant part of national production. This alternative indicator accounts for the estimated contribution of 3 fields of culture-related activities: activities related to paper industries- editing, printing, reproductions (1.2%); telecommunications (69.8%); and cultural and recreational activities (28.9%).

 

While already indicating a vibrant sector, INSD’s alternative indicator must be understood as a rough estimation of culture’s contribution to GDP. The results are subject to both under and overestimation. Regarding underestimation, many fields of cultural activities are not taken into consideration by this indicator due to the level of disaggregation of data available at the national level. In addition, the indicator only takes into consideration private and formal cultural activities. Cultural activities that take place in the informal economy and non-market establishments, as well as the indirect and induced impacts of the culture sector are not incorporated in the calculations but may be significant.  Regarding overestimation, the estimations for cultural and recreational activities are likely a great overestimation as specific cultural activities could not be extracted from a larger category of activities including all personal and collective services. Nevertheless, this alternative indicator offers valuable new information on the profits generated by cultural activities at the national level.

2 CULTURAL EMPLOYMENT: 2.14% (2009)

 

In 2009, 2.14% of the employed population in Burkina Faso had cultural occupations (129,980 people).  The majority of cultural employment occurs in urban environments and consists of handicraft workers. The most commonly practiced handicrafts include weaving, carpentry, stone masonry, and jewelry-making. To the contrary, few individuals perform supporting or equipment related cultural occupations, which are indispensable for the creation, production and distribution of artistic and cultural content. 

 

While already significant, the global contribution of the culture sector to employment is underestimated in this indicator due to the difficulty of obtaining and correlating all the relevant data. This figure is only the tip of the iceberg since it does not cover non-cultural occupations performed in cultural establishments or induced occupations with a strong link to culture, such as employees of hospitality services located in or close to heritage sites. In addition, this figure likely does not cover all informal employment in the culture sector due to the reluctance of some participants to convey such occupations during official surveys. Employment in the informal culture sector is likely to be significant in Burkina Faso. Furthermore, because the raw data in Burkina Faso is only available to the three-digit level of international standard classifications, certain central cultural occupations are not taken into account. 

 

Nevertheless, this indicator already highlights culture’s non-negligible role as an employer in Burkina Faso and the sector’s potential as a source of wealth and income for individuals, in line with the priority given to the culture sector in the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (2010-2015).

3 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES ON CULTURE: 0.62% (2009)

 

In Burkina Faso, 0.62% of household consumption expenditures were devoted to cultural activities, goods and services in the year of 2009. 47.4% was spent on central cultural goods and services, and 52.6% on equipment/supporting goods and services. The consumption of jewellery (20.8%) and cultural services (12.6%) represent the largest share of central cultural 

 

goods and services consumed, while in the category of equipment/supporting goods and services, equipment for the reception, recording and reproduction of sound and image was alone responsible for 49.7% of the final result.

 

This result suggests a relatively low level of demand for the consumption of cultural goods and services, as the average for all test phase countries of the CDIS is situated at 2.43%. However, significant variations in consumption can be noted across the different income groups of the population, as well as across the regions and geographic areas of Burkina Faso. Households of the highest income quintile represent nearly 60% of all cultural expenditures, and although there are approximately four times as many households in rural environments, total urban expenditures on culture (8,417,127,757 FCA) represent nearly 90% of total rural expenditures on culture (9,494,701,900 FCA). Combined, two capital regions- the Centre and Hauts Bassins regions, represent 42.5% of all household expenditures on culture in Burkina Faso. Bobo Dioulasso, the capital of Hauts Bassins region, is the proclaimed capital of culture of Burkina Faso, while the national capital, Ouagadougou, is located in the Centre region. Both cities benefit from the investment of authorities in the local culture sector and its dynamism.

 

While already illustrating much about consumption practices in Burkina Faso, this indicator underestimates the actual household consumption of cultural goods and services due to methodological constraints and gaps in data available at the national level. It does not account for informal transactions or the value of cultural goods and services acquired by households and provided by non-profit institutions at prices that are not economically significant (e.g. in-kind transfers). Similarly, spending on cultural products that are not directly financed by households, such as design services and advertisements, are not taken into consideration; and it excludes certain expenditures that cannot be isolated due to the aggregation of coding systems. Despite these limitations, this indicator offers unprecedented insight into how Burkinabe households value cultural goods and services.

4 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: 0.09/1 (2009)

 

Education is undeniably a fundamental concern for development and despite the joint effort of national authorities and international organizations, the average level of education remains alarmingly low in Burkina Faso. Within this context, the result of 0.09/1 reflects the difficulties encountered enrolling children and maintaining attendance in schools. Although the right to education is recognized in the Constitution of Burkina Faso of 1991 (art. 18), and the State has committed to multiple international conventions and agreements in favour of the rights of the child and complete, fait and inclusive education, the core result for this indicator highlights significant persisting gaps and difficulties to implement these obligations.

 

This result shows that on average, the target population aged 17-22 has 2.76 years of schooling, which suggests that on average children complete less than half of primary school years. Consequently, the result is well below the targeted average of 10 years of schooling, which would permit Burkinabe to benefit from a complete cycle of primary and secondary schooling; the right to an education; the ability to participate in the construction and transmission of values, attitudes and cultural skills throughout school; as well as to benefit from the personal and social empowerment of learning. Furthermore, 66% of the targeted population continues to live in in education deprivation, having less than 4 years of schooling. This figure underlines the magnitude and persistence of obstacles to education.

5 MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION: 42% (2013) 

 

The Constitution of Burkina Faso recognizes French as the official language (Art. 35), but maintains that all Burkinabe are born free and equal in the eyes of the law and that no discrimination is allowed, including in regards to language (Art. 1). Within this context, 58% of the hours to be dedicated to languages in the first two years of secondary school is to be dedicated to the teaching of the official language- French. The remaining 42% of the time is to be dedicated to the teaching of international languages, English being the dominant international language taught. 0% of the required curriculum is dedicated to any local or regional languages, though approximately 60 languages are present across the 13 regions of Burkina Faso. In addition, although the law 013/96/ADP states that the official language (French) and national languages are to be the languages of education, 0% of the time is required to be dedicated to one of the 3 officially recognized national languages- Mooré, Fulfuldé or Dioula. These results indicate that while limited international linguistic diversity is promoted by the required curriculum, additional efforts may be necessary to promote the rich diversity of local Burkinabe languages and culture. 

 

However, it should be mentioned that select bilingual education programmes exist, though not part of the required curriculum or opportunities for all Burkinabé students. Their main objective is to promote access to basic education. The first bilingual programmes were instated in 1994. Such programs foresee a basic education cycle of five years instead of the usual six years’ cycle. In the first year of bilingual programs, 90% of instructional hours are taught in students’ mother tongue and 10% in French. This ratio progressively shifts to favour French, ending as 90% in French in the fifth year. Today, 41 schools offer bilingual programmes in 10 of Burkina Faso’s 13 regions, teaching in 7 national and local languages in addition to French.

6 ARTS EDUCATION: 0% (2013)

 

According to the national required curriculum, arts education is not compulsory and 0% of instructional hours are required to be dedicated to the subject in the first two years of secondary school (grades 5-6). This indicator suggests a low level of public priority given to arts and culture subjects. Furthermore, a gap in the offerings of arts education over the course of the educational lifetime emerges when looking at the following indicator on tertiary and training programmes that are offered in Burkina Faso. Though some cultural programmes are offered at the higher education level, this gap in arts education during secondary schooling may obstruct developing students’ interest in professional careers in the culture sector, as well as developing students’ appreciation 

 

for the arts and culture in general. Reinforcing a dynamic culture sector calls for both nurturing the public’s enjoyment in culture and the training of cultural professionals throughout their education.

 

It should be noted that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism hopes to improve arts education opportunities in the near future. With the technical assistance of the UNESCO-EU Expert Facility Project, the Ministry has developed a strategy to integrate culture and arts modules in school curriculums by 2020 in order to allow students to develop a stronger appreciation of their own culture and open themselves up to other cultures. Once implemented, this will greatly enhance arts education experiences.

7 PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN THE CULTURE SECTOR: 0.7/1 (2013)

 

The National Cultural Policy (2009) recognizes that individual culture sub-sectors lack specific training opportunities that would assist artists and cultural professionals in properly doing their job. Nevertheless, Burkina Faso’s result of 0.7/1 reflects the recent efforts and investments made by national authorities in order to fill the gaps and permit the pursuit of careers in the culture sector. Indeed, the coverage of public and government-dependent private technical and tertiary education is now rather comprehensive, offering various types of courses and permitting cultural professionals to receive the necessary training to pursue a career.

 

Since 2002, three new paths for higher education in culture have been launched, two at the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) and the now reputable Arts, Management and Cultural Administration (AGAC) program at the University of Ouagadougou. Of the seven centres for vocational and technical training identified, the Training and Research Center for the Living Arts (CFRAV-Espace Gambidi), the Superior Institute of Image and Sound (ISIS), and the IMAGINE Institute maintain TVET programs in music and sound, applied arts, cultural management, film and image. While the course offering at the national level is now relatively diverse, improvements still remain. For example, no technical training exists in the field of heritage, and no tertiary diploma programmes exist in the fields of music and sound or applied arts. In addition, course offerings remain unequally distributed nation-wide and concentrated in the principal urban areas of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

 

Other fields worth mentioning but that are not taken into consideration by CDIS methodology are dance and theatre. Five identified establishments offer technical and professional training in these fields. These theatre and dance schools contribute to the creation of a competitive cultural class and emerging new talents in the performing arts and the Burkinabé film industry.

 

By offering an assessment of the variety of training programmes in the area of culture, and by highlighting the fields to be further developed, this indicator assists in monitoring the objective to develop human resources and actors’ potential through specialized professional training, as indicated in the National Cultural Policy (2009). In so doing, it points the way toward courses of action to better structure and reinforce the sector.

8 STANDARD-SETTING FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURE: 0.95/1 (2013)

 

Burkina Faso’s result of 0.95/1 indicates that there is already a significant standard-setting framework for culture in place and that the national authorities have made many efforts to ratify key international legal instruments affecting cultural development, cultural rights and cultural diversity, as well as to establish a national framework to recognize and implement these obligations. 

 

Burkina Faso scored 0.93/1 at the international level, highlighting the degree of priority given to culture and Burkinabé authorities’ high level of commitment to international norms on cultural development, cultural rights and cultural diversity. Burkina Faso has ratified many recommended international conventions, declarations and recommendations, such as the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as its optional Protocol. However, Burkina Faso has yet to ratify select international instruments such as the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Universal Copyright Convention, though the protection of the intellectual property of literary and artistic works is guaranteed by national legislation.

 

At the national level, a score of 0.96/1 indicates that a great deal of effort has been made to implement many of the international obligations that Burkina Faso has committed to at the country level, a necessary step for the active implementation of these obligations. Principles relating to Burkinabés’ cultural rights and freedoms, as well as cultural diversity, are established in the Constitution. In addition, Burkina Faso has many sectorial laws to regulate and structure heritage, books and publishing, cinema, television and radio, music and fine arts. Legislation is also in place regarding public subsidies, cultural patronage and the tax status of culture, meant to facilitate investment in the sector. However, no ‘framework law’ for culture exists to unify and harmonize cultural legislation.

9 POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURE:  1/1 (2013)

 

The final result of 1/1 reflects that Burkinabé authorities have taken great efforts to create a comprehensive policy and institutional framework to promote the culture sector as part of development, by establishing targeted policies and mechanisms and by having an adequate political and administrative system to implement the legal instruments seen above.  

 

Overall, Burkina Faso has an extensive cultural policy and institutional framework for the protection and promotion of culture, cultural rights and cultural diversity. At the national level, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism represents the interest of culture. In addition, a Cultural and Social Affairs Commission provides for the consideration of culture within the national parliament, and various decentralized regional and municipal authorities ensure the promotion of the sector at the local levels. The National Culture Policy of 2009 and its action plans provide an overall strategy for the effective promotion of culture, in addition to specific sectorial policies and strategies such as the National Strategy for the Development of Books and the National Communication Policy. 

 

Culture has also been integrated in the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (2010-2015), and the culture sector has been highlighted as a priority and pillar for sustainable growth amongst technical partners.

10 DISTRIBUTION OF CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURES: 0.55/1 (2013) 

 

One of Burkina Faso’s objectives outlined in the National Cultural Policy (2009) is to encourage Burkinabés to participate in cultural and creative activities and different art forms, allowing 

 

them to share their different understandings of life, release their creative potential and contribute to economic development. However, the distribution of cultural infrastructure in Burkina Faso, which would facilitate such participation, paints a picture of challenges to be faced.

 

On a scale from 0 to 1, Burkina Faso’s result for this indicator is 0.55, 1 representing the situation in which selected cultural infrastructures are equally distributed amongst regions according to the relative size of their population. The score of 0.55 thus reflects that across the 13 regions of Burkina Faso, there is an unequal distribution of cultural facilities. 

 

When looking at the figures for the three different categories of infrastructures, Burkina Faso scores 0.34/1 for Museums, 0.62/1 for Exhibition Venues Dedicated to the Performing Arts and 0.68/1 for Libraries and Media Resource Centers. This suggests that the most equal distribution of access across Burkina Faso exists for Libraries and the most unequal distribution of infrastructures exists for Museums. While the regions of Boucle du Mouhoun, Plateau Central, and Sud Ouest benefit from a higher concentration of cultural infrastructures, other regions such as Centre, Est, and Centre Nord have rather low coverage. Similarly, while the significant increase in the number of museums in the last 10 years is to be commended, such establishments still remain inaccessible for a large portion of the population with 4 regions having no such infrastructures (Cascades, Centre Est, Centre Sud and Nord). Building cultural infrastructures and increasing equality of access across all 13 regions could increase Burkinabés’ opportunities to take part in cultural and creative activities, release their creative potential and participate in economic development through the production and consumption of cultural goods and services. This is a crucial and common challenge among all the countries that have implemented the CDIS until now, as the average score for this indicator is only 0.43/1.

11 CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL GOVERNANCE: 0.96/1 (2014)

 

The final result of 0.96/1 indicates that comprehensive opportunities exist for dialogue and representation of both cultural professionals and minorities in regards to the formulation and implementation of cultural policies, measures and programmes that concern them. Such opportunities for participation in cultural governance exist at the national as well as regional and local levels.

 

Regarding the participation of minorities, for the purpose of constructing this core CDIS indicator in Burkina Faso, flexibility was adopted regarding the definition of ‘minorities’ as there are no recognized minorities as such in Burkina Faso but rather the Burkinabé population is considered to be of diverse ethnicities and cultures. Thus, focus was instead placed on inclusive participation more generally and the access of individuals from all ethnicities, cultures and groups to participate in the decision-making process regarding cultural policies, measures and programmes that affect them. Applying this flexibility, mechanisms for the participation of minorities can be observed at both the national and local levels. At the national level, several regular events and mechanisms permit broad participation and consultation in decision-making processes, including in regards to culture topics. The annual National Decentralization Conference (CONAD), the National Week of Culture (SNC), the National Women’s Forum, the National Youth Forum, and the National Day of the Peasant are all examples of events and mechanisms that call for broad-based consultation treating a variety of issues, including culture. At the regional and local levels, the annual Regional Decentralization Conference and monthly Village Development Councils provide opportunities for all to partake in decision-making processes. Decisions taken at the Village Development Councils are binding for municipal authorities.

 

To facilitate the participation of cultural professionals in governance, at the national level the Burkinabé authorities institutionalized by decree in 2013 an annual encounter between public administrators responsible for culture, civil society and the private sector. The resolutions and outcomes of these encounters are formally consultative, though the government authorities have committed to translating them into legislation and action. At the regional and local levels, when culture issues are discussed at the annual Regional Decentralization Conference and monthly Village Development Councils, cultural professionals are invited to take part in the debates and decision-making process. The recommendations on culture issues resulting from discussions at the Regional Decentralization Conference are likewise consultative, not binding.

14 TOLERANCE OF OTHER CULTURES: 88.7% (2007)

 

In 2007, 88.7% of the people of Burkina Faso agreed that they do not find people of a different culture as undesirable neighbours. This indicator provides an assessment of the degree of tolerance and openness to diversity, thus providing insight into the levels of interconnectedness within a given society. It is a composite result of respondents’ replies regarding neighbours falling under 3 categories: people of a different race, immigrants/foreign workers, and people of a different religion. This result indicates a fairly high level of tolerance towards diversity, which is consistent with the great cultural diversity of the country (composed of over 60 ethnic groups) and the recognition of this diversity as a source of national wealth in the National Cultural Policy (2009). This policy further specifies that when properly mobilized, Burkina Faso’s cultural mosaic can act as a source of dynamic innovation and wealth, but when improperly managed can to the contrary be a source of ethnic and religious conflict. The objective to obtain mutual understanding and tolerance of all cultures was reaffirmed in the National Development Plan 3 (2007-2012). 

 

Within this context, the result of 88.7% for this indicator suggests that the values, attitudes and convictions of nearly 9 out of 10 Burkinabés favour the acceptance of other cultures. This result further suggests a cultural system of values is in place that thrives on diversity, fosters tolerance, and encourages an interest in new or different traditions, thus creating a social environment favourable to development.

15 INTERPERSONAL TRUST: 14.7% (2007) 

 

In 2007, 14.7% of Burkinabés agreed that most people can be trusted. Within the context described above, this indicator further assesses the level of trust and sense of solidarity and cooperation in Burkina Faso, providing insight into its social capital. A result of 14.7% indicates a low level of trust and solidarity as the average of the countries having implemented the CDIS is situated at 19.2%. Furthermore, though all groups of the population show low levels of trust, there are significant variations in the results for men and women and across age groups. Women seem to be more trusting than men as nearly 17% of all women agree that most people can be trusted, compared to only 13% of men. Little more than 14% of all people under the age of 50 agree that most people can be trusted (13.5% for people ages 15-29, and 14.4% for people ages 30-49), while nearly 21% of all people ages 50 and over agree with this statement, suggesting a degradation of trust amongst new generations. Regardless, all of these figures remain rather low and indicate that there remains an obstruction to fostering a united and trusting society. This indicates that building on culture’s potential to further reinforce the feelings of mutual cooperation and solidarity amongst Burkinabés, and as a consequence, nurture social capital, deserves to be considered as a priority in Burkina Faso through the development of targeted measures and programmes.  

 

The conflicting results between tolerance and trust for this dimension suggest that much work still remains in this area, to not only accentuate social priorities in national development plans, but also to integrate relevant cultural and social questions into regular national surveys in order to establish consistent statistics and monitor progress throughout the implementation of the National Cultural Policy (2009).

 

Burkina Faso’s final result is 4.91/10, 10 representing the situation in which individuals believe that there is ‘a great deal of freedom of choice and control’ and 1 being ‘no freedom of choice and control.’ The score of 4.91/10 indicates that the population feels that they have a low-medium degree of control over their lives and are free to live the life they choose, according to their own values and beliefs. By assessing this freedom, this indicator evaluates the sense of empowerment and enablement of individuals for deciding and orienting their development.

 

While the median response for the population is 4.91, slight variations can be seen across sexes and according age. The median response was 4.85 for women and 4.95 for men, and respondents ages 50 and over had a median result of 4.85, while the younger population groups had a median result of 4.93. These results merit consideration when cross-analysing with the indicators of Gender Equality dimension.

 

These results suggest that level of individual agency in Burkina Faso is below the average results for all countries having implemented the CDIS, which is situated at 6.7/10. This indicates that the necessary components are only in part provided for an enabling political, economic, social and cultural context that fosters individual well-being and life satisfaction and builds common values, norms and beliefs, which succeed in empowering them to live the life they wish.

17 GENDER EQUALITY OBJECTIVE OUTPUTS: 0.55/1 (2013)

 

The Constitution of Burkina Faso states that all Burkinabés have an equal vocation to enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, and that discrimination of all sorts is prohibited, including according to sex (Art. 1).

 

The result of 0.55/1 reflects a moderate degree of objective gender equality and the efforts made by the government of Burkina Faso in order to elaborate and implement laws, policies and measures intended to support the ability of women and men to enjoy equal opportunities and rights. While this medium result reflects the limited progress made as a result of efforts over the last 10 years to protect and promote Burkinabé women, Burkina Faso’s result is below the average result for test phase countries of the CDIS, which is situated at 0.64/1.

 

A detailed analysis of the four areas covered by the indicator, reveals significant gaps where additional investments are needed to improve gender equality basic outputs. Significant differences in opportunities for men and women can be noted regarding political and labour force participation, gender equity legislation and education. In 2012, women represented only 19% of the elected members of the National Assembly, in spite of the quota law adopted in 2009, which was meant to eliminate barriers and increase women’s representation. Regarding other gender equity legislation, there remains a notable absence regarding domestic violence and sexual harassment legislation and penalties, as well as insufficient legal instruments to protect women against rape. The perception that a woman cannot refuse intercourse with her husband remains not only engrained in individuals’ minds, but is also an obligation inscribed in national family law. As for labour force participation, 86.3% of men are either employed or actively searching for work, versus 61.1% of women. Finally, though the average number of years of education is very low for all Burkinabés aged 25 years and above, men have nearly twice as much education (1.04 years) compared to women (0.64 years). Access to inclusive education for all remains a significant issue, as illustrated by the indicators of the Education dimension.

 

In conclusion, although gender equality has been the subject of national efforts in recent years and limited legislation is now in place, much progress remains to be achieved. However, policies alone are not enough. Policies require people, and a further look at the subjective indicator below suggests not only a need to continue to pursue more effective legislation, policies and mechanisms, but also a need to address deep-set cultural values. Resistance due to embedded cultural values can undermine the feasibility of objectives and the sustainability of performance outcomes.

18 PERCEPTION OF GENDER EQUALITY: 45.8% (2007)

 

In 2007, 45.8% of Burkinabés positively perceived gender as a factor for development, according to their responses to questions regarding three key domains that parallel the objective indicator for this dimension- employment, political participation and education. The final result is a composite indicator, which suggests that slightly more than half of the population of Burkina Faso continues to view gender as irrelevant or a negative factor for development. Individuals’ perceptions on gender equality are strongly influenced by cultural practices and norms, thus Burkina Faso’s result suggests that gender-biased social and cultural norms remain dominant.

 

However, the perception of gender equality greatly varied according to the domain of the question asked. The most unfavourable perceptions were recorded in regards to employment. When asked if “When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women,” only 34.8% of respondents did not agree. This means that 65.2% of the population agreed that men have priority in regards to employment. When asked if “Men make better political leaders than women,” only 37.4% of the population responded no. Thus, oven three-fifths of the population agreed that men are better political leaders. The most favourable perceptions were recorded regarding education. When asked if “University is more important for a boy than for a girl,” 65.2% of respondents did not agree, suggesting that education is a domain in which gender equality and education for all is likely to be perceived as a positive factor for development. 

 

>> This cross-analysis of the subjective and objective indicators reveals low results overall, both regarding objective outputs and perceptions. These results suggest a need for both greater advocacy efforts targeting attitudes, as well as improved policies and mechanisms to proactively address key issues such as political participation and education. Since cultural values and attitudes strongly shape perceptions towards gender equality, it is critical to prove that gender equality can compliment and be compatible with cultural values and attitudes, and be an influential factor in the retransmission of cultural values for building inclusive and egalitarian societies, and for the respect of human rights.

19 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: 58/100 (2012)

 

The freedom of expression, the freedom of the media and the free flow of information are protected by law and guaranteed in the Constitution of Burkina Faso (Art. 8) and the 1993 Code of Information. 

 

Burkina Faso’s score of 58/100 indicates that their print, broadcast, and internet-based media is currently ‘partly free.’ This score illustrates the efforts made by the authorities to ensure an enabling environment for free media to operate and freedom of expression to be respected and promoted. Through the free flow of ideas, knowledge, information and content, these freedoms are the building blocks for the development of open and participatory societies as well as key enablers for creativity and cultural diversity. 

 

A government appointed body, the High Council of Communication (SCC) regulates the media to assure conformity with ethics and law, as well as issues licenses for broadcasting and publication. To better secure the freedom of expression, room for improvement remains in the economic, political and legal environments of Burkina Faso. Though the number of charges recorded in recent years is limited, libel remains a criminal offence; journalists can still face civil penalties and prison time over complaints, and the burden of proof in such cases is placed on defendants. Media is also forbidden to insult the president. While legislation on the freedom of information is in place, Article 49 of the Code of Information outlines the exceptional cases in which journalists may not have access to government data for reasons of security. Critics claim government bodies abuse reference to this code, hinder access to information. Similarly, though State legislation formally guarantees the freedom of expression, public authorities have been reported to harass journalists when coverage is not favourable, causing journalists to self-censor. State-affiliated media outlets tend to avoid controversial issues and report with a pro-government bias. Privately owned media outlets face less direct censorship and are able to report on a large variety of topics of importance to communities, enhancing the diversity of content. However, although media ownership is a key economic and political factor, it is not always transparent. 

 

An additional subjective indicator similarly reveals that in 2009, 49.7% of Burkinabés agreed that the freedom of expression is fully guaranteed (51.6% of men and 48.1% of women). Significant variations in results exist according to level of education. While 49.2% of individuals with no education and 56% of individuals with only a primary education agree with this statement, the lowest figures were recorded for individuals with upper-secondary (41.6%) and higher education (42.6%), suggesting a general decreasing trend with the level of education obtained. Overall, these results indicate that approximately half of all Burkinabés do not feel that they are free to fully exercise their freedom of expression, thus reinforcing the statement that improvements can still be made.

20 ACCESS AND INTERNET USE:  2.64% (2009)

 

In 2009, 2.64% of Burkinabés used the Internet. While this result is approximately 10 percentage points lower than the regional average for all of Sub-Saharan Africa (48 countries) according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), 12.56% (2011), Internet use has been and continues to rapidly develop in the country. According to ITU, less than 0.1% of the population used the Internet in 2000. 

 

Significant variations in the number of users can be noted according to age, sex and geographic location. While 3.38% of the population ages 25-34 used the Internet, as little as 1.83% of the population ages 45-54 and 0.86% of the population above the age of 55 used the Internet.  The majority of all Internet users are male (67.7%) not female (32.3%), and they are located in urban environments (91.27%) not rural (8.73%).

 

21 DIVERSITY OF FICTIONAL CONTENT ON PUBLIC TELEVISION: 27.3% (2013)

 

In Burkina Faso, approximately 27.3% of the broadcasting time of television fiction programmes on public free-to-air television is dedicated to domestic fiction programmes. During the observed period, 12.7% of all fictional content was produced in other African countries such as Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Cameroun, and South Africa. The remaining 60% of fictional programmes was from other foreign countries, the largest percentages coming from the USA, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil.  Burkina Faso’s result is slightly above the average result for test phase countries of the CDIS, which is situated at 25.8%, demonstrating the level of public support and commitment of public television providers to promote Burkina Faso’s diverse cultures, values and indigneous knowledge through the audiovisual industry.

 

An additional indicator on the diversity of creative content in public television programming reveals that the ratio of creative content of domestic origin is approximately 31%.  This figure includes fiction programmes, as well as music programmes, documentaries, religious and linguistic diversity programmes, and cartoons broadcast on public free-to-air television.

 

Programming domestic productions, and particularly fictions with a high share of cultural content may help to build or strengthen identities and promote cultural diversity. Moreover, public broadcasting has major implications for the development of the domestic audio-visual industry, as well as for the flourishing of local cultural expressions and creative products. Nevertheless, while these figures suggest diverse content offerings and public support of the Burkinabé audio-visual industry, the lack of co-productions broadcast during the observed period suggests that one possible way to further promote the dissemination of domestic cultural content within Burkina Faso and beyond would be to support such co-ventures, promoting access to new markets and cross-border exchanges and learning amongst creative professionals.

 

Burkina Faso’s result of 0.61/1 is an intermediate result regarding the establishment of a multidimensional framework for the protection, safeguarding and promotion of heritage sustainability. The degree of commitment and action taken by Burkinabé authorities is mixed and varies according to the component of the framework. While many public efforts are dedicated to raising-awareness, community involvement and stimulating support, persisting gaps regarding national level registrations and inscriptions, as well as mechanisms for conservation, management, knowledge and capacity-building, call for additional actions to improve the framework.

 

Burkina Faso scored 0.49/1 for registration and inscriptions indicating that while efforts have resulted in national and international registrations and inscriptions of Burkinabé sites and elements of tangible and intangible heritage, increased focus should be placed on expanding and updating registries. Burkina Faso has 241 heritage sites on their national registry, 1 of which has already received the recognition of being World Heritage - the Ruins of Loropéni (2009). In addition, forty-five elements of intangible heritage have already been documented at the national level, and 1 element has been inscribed in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage - the Cultural practices and expressions linked to the Balafon of the Senufo communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire (2012). Such recent efforts to receive international recognition suggest that the authorities of Burkina Faso remain committed to promoting their heritage. However, no list or inventory of cultural property or 

 

database of stolen cultural objects yet exists, and increased efforts could be made to update the national intangible heritage inventory, which has not been updated in the last five years. 

 

Burkina Faso scored 0.52/1 for the protection, safeguarding and management of heritage, indicating that there are several well-defined policies and measures, as well as efforts to build capacity and involve communities. Burkinabe authorities use various means to assure community involvement in the conservation and safeguarding of heritage. However, notable gaps in the framework can still be identified. While the Heritage Law of 2007 protects cultural and natural heritage, the law has not been modified or updated since its adoption. Other exclusions include the existence of a specialized police unit for illicit trafficking of cultural objects and the publication of regularly updated management plans for major heritage sites. Concerning training and capacity building, while the training efforts of police and customs officials against illicit trafficking are to be applauded, gaps persist concerning concrete mechanisms to combat against illicit trafficking and involve communities’ in the process. Similarly, increased efforts are needed to build capacities amongst the armed forces regarding the protection of cultural property in the case of armed conflict, as well as to build the knowledge of heritage site management staff and communities’ understanding of the safeguarding of intangible heritage. Finally, additional gaps concerning community involvement pertain to the lack of mechanisms to actively involve communities in the identification and labelling processes for tangible and intangible heritage.

 

Burkina Faso scored 0.85/1 for the transmission and mobilization of support, which reflects the efforts of national authorities to involve the civil society and the private sector, as well as to raise-awareness amongst the public. To raise awareness amongst youth, programs like ‘Ecole au musee,’ jointly supported by UNICEF, are carried out, and International World Heritage Day is observed to raise awareness amongst the greater public. However, although differential pricing at heritage sites exists to help promote access amongst the population, increased awareness of the meaning of heritage could be enhance by increasing signage at nationally and internationally recognized heritage sites. In addition, media campaigns could be explored as an additional means to promote heritage for development.