The Provincial Director of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Yagha, Mr. Abdouramane Amadou, held a provincial meeting to validate surnames on October 23, 2024, in the meeting room of the DREEP of the Sahel.
Chaired by High Commissioner Adama Koussoubé, this meeting served as a framework for consultation for the validation of surnames within the province of Yagha.
It was held in the presence of Mr. Amidou Bamogo, regional director of Culture, Arts and Tourism of the Sahel, the presidents of the special delegations (PDS) of Yagha, as well as representatives of the different communities of the province.
In his opening speech, the High Commissioner welcomed all the participants invited to this meeting.
He specified that this exchange session constitutes the culmination of a process initiated by the Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, through surveys carried out within the grassroots communities, the data of which were compiled in a document.
“This is the document that we will examine together to
make amendments or corrections. Your participation is highly anticipated, because it will allow us to achieve the objective of appropriating your identities through the meanings of your surnames, their totems and the joking kinship relationships associated with each surname,” he added.
Representatives of the Yagha communities followed the reading of the document with interest.
It appears that the province is particularly rich in surnames, mainly grouping Peulhs and Gourmantchés, but also Haoussas, Mossis, Tamachecks (Bella), Djermas, Gourounsis and Bissas.
Each ethnic group has a diversity of surnames within it. Around fifty surnames are already recorded in the document, and participants were able to make contributions to enrich this census.
Some surnames present in the Yagha but not listed were also reported, and the provincial director took note to transmit them to the appropriate authorities.
In total, more than seventy surnames, representing various ethnic groups well known in Burkina Faso and elsewh
ere, exist in the province of Yagha.
At the end of the work, the regional director of Culture, satisfied with the work accomplished, thanked all the participants for their involvement.
He stressed that the work on the document is not finished and that in the coming days some resource persons will be asked to provide additional contributions on the missing surnames.
The High Commissioner also expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Communication, Culture and Tourism, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, for this initiative aimed at documenting the surnames of Burkina Faso.
These documents will provide future generations and many other people with information about their origins, joking kinship relationships, and many other aspects.
He also thanked the participants for their valuable contributions during this meeting.
It was in an atmosphere of satisfaction that the communities separated, each having learned something and contributed to this initiative aimed at promoting the populations of our country.
Source: Burkina Information Agency