Burkina Faso

2011
50 x 50 x 4.4 cm | 29 kg – Multi-layer fused glass with pigment inclusion

A former French colony independent in 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta only changed its name on August 4, 1984, to become Burkina Faso: “the homeland of honest men”.
The old horizontal black-white-red tricolor flag of Upper Volta was replaced by the new flag with traditional Pan-African colors, which symbolize solidarity between all former African colonies.
Red represents the color of the “socialist and popular” revolution that the country had just experienced, led by the young Marxist captain Thomas Sankara, who wanted to mark a break with previous regimes: it symbolizes the blood shed by the martyrs of the revolution and, by extension, all the sacrifices of the Burkinabe people.
Green represents the various agricultural riches of Burkina Faso and symbolizes the abundance which will bring happiness to the people. The yellow color of the star represents the light that guides the democratic and popular revolution.
The change of flag was part of this logic and was not called into question following political developments in the country following the assassination of Thomas Sankara in 1987.