Despite everything, it was possible. 230 km from Ouagadougou, a name, a city. Titao. It bends but does not break. In this city located on the edge of the Sahel, men and women are fighting for survival. Focus on the resilient ‘warthog city’ where assumed names replace real identities in view of the security situation. Reporting.
It is 4:30 a.m. in Titao this Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Voices of muezzins ring out. The city is waking up. Sounds of brooms here. Noises of pots over there. The women take over the cleaning in the courtyards. In the alleys, men are heading towards the mosque for morning prayers. At the front of the faithful, in the mosque, the imam. With his legs crossed, he chants a few Koranic verses. A few minutes later, he finishes by thanking the Almighty for another night won. Here, the nights follow one another, but are not the same due to terrorism.
Indeed, the terrorist enemy is never far away. The security forces are keeping an eye on things. Little by little, the glow chases away the dar
kness. The streets resume their usual bustle.
Aka website. A popular neighborhood in the south of the city. The classes are teeming with people. Most of the staff are bloated, in excess of a hundred. It all started timidly, however, recalls Isaac, winner of national excellence 2023. He is one of the pioneers of the ‘Save the school in Loroum’ initiative. As a reminder, December 2021 was marked by an epidemic of school closures in the country. It was then that an initiative was born: ‘Save the school in Loroum’. Teachers brave the terrorist threat. They stay. The initiative is gaining momentum. The Titao crisis committee supports the idea. Local sons and daughters support her. Humanitarian NGOs put theirs up.
The local authorities ‘bring salt’ to the sauce to ‘Save the school in Loroum’. We are recruiting community teachers. Initiators are repurposing existing schools and classrooms into education sites. February 2022, classes begin but timidly. The initiative allows CM2 students to take the CEP exam. Succes
s rate: 68.18% in 2022 and 94.38% in 2023, 99.10% in 2024.
Aka or keeping the flame of education burning
Aka, Isaac and his colleagues’ neighborhood. Young volunteer teachers. They have the task of leading more than a thousand students. Despite the difficulties encountered, they carry out the mission. ‘We decided to stay after the departure of the Administration to support our brothers and sisters abandoned to their own fate,’ says Isaac. A fight. The figures are edifying. 1505 students. 5 CP1 classes. 3 CP2 classes. Needs are far from being met.
‘Parents continue to send us children,’ he emphasizes. The difficulty ? ‘We have the will, but we are faced with problems with desks and classrooms,’ says the volunteer. Result ? ‘The children sit in groups of 3 or 4 or even 5 for toddlers.’ This deal seems to be an adrenaline rush for him. With a smile on his lips, he reassures: ‘It’s interesting and encouraging at the same time because, barely four days of school, the CP1 students know how to stand up and say ‘H
ello Sir’. Passion and courage. ‘We are determined to give the best of ourselves,’ he says. An enriching experience.
The proof ? Good results in the Primary Studies Certificate exam sessions in 2022 and 2023. The Basic Education District of Titao I, relocated to Ouahigouya, intends to continue opening sites. Objective: to satisfy demand in the city. In addition to the 5 sites already open, 3 others are on the program if the evolution of the security situation allows it.
Another place, same studious atmosphere. The Provincial High School. The only grouping site for secondary school students. Final year students are coming to the rescue of education in their home province. An endogenous initiative. This morning, the sun continues its inexorable rise in the sky. A few gusts of dry wind announce the return of the Harmattan. Small groups of students in the courtyard.
Most of it in class. Voices of teacher-volunteers ring out, often interspersed with those of students. Classes started well. Ismaël, another winne
r of the 2023 excellence award. He tours the classes. At the call of the ‘Save the school in Loroum’ initiative, Ismaël, a certified high school and college teacher, returns to Titao. Like Isaac, he decides to coordinate the action of young student volunteers. Its management allows it to achieve good academic results in the first cycle certificate examination, session 2023. Success rate: 66.52%, well above the national average.
Which earned him the recognition of the Nation at the day of national excellence in Ouagadougou. At the head of the 24 volunteer teachers, Ismaël rebels. He is aware of the challenges to be met despite the logistical and technical difficulties. ‘We are extremely short of reams of paper. Teachers are forced to often copy homework and exercises on the board,’ he explains. His appeal: ‘We hope that we can be provided with these supplies necessary for the proper functioning of the establishment.’ With sparkling eyes despite the load, he salutes the sporadic initiatives of people of good w
ill.
Through contributions, they give a helping hand. ‘But it is insignificant, because with an enrollment of 1,178 students, the needs are enormous,’ underlines the educator. Heartfelt cry heard. The municipality and the Red Cross donate a solar lamp and a school kit to each student. Immense joy.
On the side of the farmers…
The sun is at its zenith. The strong heatwave sets in. The inhabitants take the shade of the rare trees and makeshift sheds. Small jars of water sit neatly at the foot of the trees.
The refrigerators have stopped since the national road serving the locality was blocked. The scarcity and high cost of fuel and insecurity lead to rationing. To have the slightest liter, you have to show your credentials. Present your national identity card. The sabotage of the power line by armed terrorist groups since March 2022 makes the situation delicate. No electricity. Once night falls, cell phone torches take over or we simply make do with the darkness. Some mills are turning.
Others put the key u
nder the doormat. At the Titao Women’s House, women’s groups manage a mill. It offers the opportunity for the wealthiest to grind grain. The others use the grindstone or pestle. Lack of financial means.
North side of town. A particular freshness. On the banks of the Titao dam, women and men are active in market gardening. Transplanting here, watering there. The dry campaign is underway, despite the security situation. A hoe in his right hand, grass in the other, Moussa, a young market gardener, cleans an onion bed.
He remembers this painful date. December 23, 2021. Everything changed. Producers at an impasse. The valiant fighter Ladji Yôrô had just fallen into an ambush set by the terrorists. He is dead. ‘That day, I couldn’t imagine that the city would survive. When the news broke the next day, the city began to empty. Because our protector, Ladji Yôrô has fallen,’ he recalls. He chokes back a tear, sighs. ‘But little by little we were able to get back up. Today, we are able to continue our production acti
vities thanks to the monitoring of the Defense and Security Forces.’ Hope. However, concerns remain.
The sale of products from market gardening. ‘We are unable to sell the products because we are unable to transport them to Ouahigouya. Last year, the potato and onion rotted in our hands.’ His proposal? ‘We must organize special convoys to remove the products. Otherwise, it will be difficult for producers to hold on for a long time,’ explains Moussa. Another problem: ‘Apart from this situation, the timely supply of seeds also poses a problem. We have to wait for the convoys, and often the deadline for planting the seeds is largely exceeded and the filling level of the dam is low.
The crisis exacerbates existing bottlenecks
Supply and flow problems constitute the real bottlenecks for socio-economic initiatives. Somdouya cooperative of Titao.
Around ten women harnessed to machines weave fabrics. Next to it, Faso-danfani loincloths stacked in a cupboard. ‘Even if it doesn’t work, I can’t give up and sit down,
‘ confides Zourata, an artisan in her thirties. ‘Before, I could make an income of 100 to 150 thousand francs a month, but now, as foreigners no longer come, I manage to just provide a living.’ His most absolute wish ‘is the opening of the road and the resumption of traffic.’ Not far from there, a welding workshop.
One of the few still functional in the city. Here we do welding. The manager enjoys making ice cream. It also cools the drink with the energy of the generator. According to Alassane, it is a technique of resilience. There is not enough soldering market.
Construction sites are at half mast. ‘We don’t work every day. When we start the group to weld, we use the energy to operate the freezer in order to reduce production costs,’ he explains. Result: ‘This allows us to have iced water and cold drinks to sell and do the welding at the same time. It’s this combination of activities that allows us to hold on.’ Before turning his back, he says: ‘We must hold the city at all costs.’
6 p.m. Ordinary evenin
g. Minimal crowds, unlike the big crowds of yesteryear. Before the crisis, commerce along the tracks was in full swing at the same time. The street empties. Some latecomers, some on foot, some on bicycles, hurry to reach home. 6:30 p.m. The streets are already deserted. Surely but slowly, the darkness, helped by the anxieties of the curfew, ends up silencing the children’s voices. Household pestle blows crash down one after the other. The city falls into dead calm. Graveyard silence.
Thus survives the emblematic town of Titao. City of national-scale activities, a few years ago. Potato Day, School Week, School Excellence Week… These moments of beautiful memories have given way to resilience. Titao fights and refuses to die. Despite the many difficulties, the city remains standing. It bends but does not break.
Source: Burkina Information Agency