Bobo-Dioulasso Bɔbɔjulaso (Dyula) | |
|---|---|
 Bobo-Dioulasso marketplace, 2006 | |
  Bobo-Dioulasso Location within Burkina Faso,West Africa | |
| Coordinates:11°11′N4°17′W / 11.183°N 4.283°W /11.183; -4.283 | |
| Country |  Burkina Faso |
| Region | Hauts-Bassins Region |
| Province | Houet Province |
| Founded | 15th century |
| Area | |
• Total | 136.78 km2 (52.81 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 445 m (1,460 ft) |
| Population (2023 census)[1] | |
• Total | 1,129,000 |
| • Density | 8,254/km2 (21,380/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| Area code | +226 20 |
| Climate | Aw |
| Website | bobodioulasso.net |
11°11′N4°17′W / 11.183°N 4.283°W /11.183; -4.283Bobo-Dioulasso (Dyula:BɔbɔjulasoN'Ko script:ߓߐ߬ߓߐߖߎ߬ߟߊ߬ߛߏ߫,Mossi:Sɩa) is a city inBurkina Faso with a population of 1,129,000 (as of 2023[update]);[1] it is thesecond-largest city in the country, afterOuagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of theBobo-Dioula".
The localBobo-speaking population (related to theMande) refers to the city simply asSia. There are two distinct dialects ofJula spoken, based on the origins of different groups of speakers. The city is situated in the southwest of the country, in theHouet Province, some 350 km (220 mi) fromOuagadougou. Bobo-Dioulasso is significant both economically (agricultural trade,textile industry) and culturally, as it is a major center ofculture andmusic.
According to local tradition, Bobo-Dioulasso was founded as Sia in the 15th century.[2] Populated by the Oule and Dioula subgroups of theBobo people, it became an important market center, particularly in the export of horses southwards.[3] Sia was therefore an important link in the developing trade routes linkingDjenne and theInner Niger Delta toKong,Begho and ultimately theGold Coast.[4][5]
Kong's growing influence in the region culminated in the reign ofSeku Watara, who established theKong Empire in 1710. His brotherFamagan Watara and sons Kere-Mori and Bamba Watara played important roles in conquering Sia and subjugating the native Bobo-Dioula and Bobo-Oule in the late 1730s.[3][6] After Seku's death, however, Famagan's descendants ruled the region, known asGwiriko, with near-autonomy from the senior branch based in Kong.[2][7]
At the end of the nineteenth century, Sia consisted of two large villages, Tunuma and Sia proper, located a few hundred meters from each other and bounded by 3-to-4.5-metre-deep (10–15-foot) ravines on either side, carved by the We (Houët) river to the east and by its tributarySanyo to the west. Three small satellite villages were located beyond this natural border. A number of other independent villages in the surroundings (Bindogoso, Dogona, Kwirima, Kpa) have since been absorbed by the developing city and are now within its municipal boundaries.[citation needed]
Kongondinn and Yemori, Watara rulers of the city, fought a series of wars against theKenedougou Kingdom to the west in the 1870s, 80s and 90s.[8]
In 1896 the Bobo-Dioula, rebelling against the Watara, allied withSamory Toure in his attack on their traditional overlords, helping him to capture the nearby stronghold ofNoumoudara. The local Watara leader Pintyeba appealed for help from the French, who were already established inDiebougou.[9] On September 25, 1897, the French briefly occupied Sia after a brief but bloody confrontation.[10] On November 23rd a military post was established, and later an administrative settlement on the east side of the We River. This became the headquarters of a district (cercle) of the same name, Bobo-Dioulasso. This military post was the starting point for one of the columns aiming to captureSikasso, capital of Kenedougou, in April 1898.[11]
During the1915–16 Volta-Bani anti-colonial war, the population in the north and east of district Bobo-Dioulasso took up arms against the French colonial government. The French based their activities in the city in an effort to suppress the insurrection, while the city itself became a center for the organization of the suppression.[12] A colonial military base was established in the southern sector of the city, adding to its growing importance.
In 1927 the French razed the old village of Tunuma and the other settlements; their population was relocated either to neighboring villages or to a previously farmed empty zone three kilometres (two miles) away. It was made available for redevelopment as a residential neighborhood (the current neighborhood of Tounouma).[13]
Sia proper, which survives today as the Dioulasoba neighborhood, was partly spared this total destruction. It was dramatically modified in 1932 when a large road artery was built through it and by the widening of streets in successive urban renewal projects. Between 1926 and 1929, the French colonial government constructed a typical European grid pattern of new avenues and streets in the city, intersected by diagonals radiating from a center, with square urban lots between them. This established the framework for the modern city center.
TheAbidjan Railway reached Bobo-Dioulasso in 1934, increasing its access to markets, transportation, and communications.[14] But the growth of the city as a colonial industrial center halted because of the world economic crisis during theGreat Depression, as well as the suppression of the colony of Upper Volta in 1933. The city started expanding again afterWorld War II. Reorganization of the colony of Upper Volta in 1947 attracted business to Bobo-Dioulasso, althoughOuagadougou had been selected as the capital. An early industrial center, Bobo-Dioulasso is also the hub of a rich agricultural zone, which produces food grains, fruits and seedlings (mangos, citrus), and export crops (cotton,cashews, andshea butter).[5]
Due to its strong economic contributions, following the nation's gaining independence in 1960, the city was called "the economic capital of the country" (as opposed to the administrative capital, Ouagadougou). Bobo-Dioulasso's economic advantage vis-à-vis the capital has declined following decades of government policy favoring Ouagadougou. Little new industry arrived in the city during the 1980s and 1990s. Some enterprises either closed down or relocated to the capital. Economic life was primarily reduced to commerce grounded in the agriculture of the region and services.[citation needed]
Since 2000 the city of Bobo-Dioulasso has enjoyed a new growth spurt, gaining in population and economic vitality. Residents have returned home following the internal crisis in neighboring Ivory Coast, and the economy has been stimulated by new demands for its goods. The central government has invested more development funds in the city; for example, the newWest African Centre for Economic and Social Studies is a college intended as the first piece of development of the second university of the country.[2]
The city features historic buildings reflecting its complex past:
Bobo-Dioulasso has well-preserved examples of the colonial-era architecture in what is called "neo-Sudanic" style (examples: the museum building, the train station). A regional museum interprets the long history and artifacts recovered in archeological work. Azoo and apotterymarket are among the city's attractions.
TheÉcole française André Malraux, a French international school, hasmaternelle (preschool) throughcollège served.[16]
TheNazi Boni University is located in the city and was founded in 1995.[17]
Among theplaces of worship, they are predominantlyMuslim mosques.[18] There are alsoChristian churches and temples:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bobo-Dioulasso (Catholic Church),Association of Reformed Evangelical Church of Burkina Faso (World Communion of Reformed Churches),Assemblies of God,Deeper Life Bible Church,International Evangelism Center).
TheGrand Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso, possibly the largest example ofSudano-Sahelian architecture in the country, built in 1880 according to some, 1893 according to others as a part of political agreement between the king of Sya and Islamic religious leader Almamy Sidiki Sanou.
The city has a railroad station along theAbidjan – Ouagadougou Railway. As of June 2014Sitarail operated a passenger train along the line three times a week in each direction.[19] As of August 2015Bobo Dioulasso Airport had direct flights twice a week to bothAbidjan andOuagadougou.[20] The city is an important road junction connecting all of Southwestern Burkina Faso with the capital, Ouagadougou, via the N-1 roadway.
The original population of Bobo-Dioulasso consisted of a majority of farmers speaking the Bobo language. Associated with them were groups specializing in trade and warfare; they also speak Bobo, but identify as of distinct historical origin and ethnicity. They call themselves theZara.[21]
Today Bobo-Dioulasso is ethnically and linguistically very diverse, due both to its position as an old trade town, and especially to its growth during the twentieth century as a colonial administrative and military center.Jula (also called Dioula) is thelingua franca of Bobo and surrounding region of western Burkina Faso. People of the city and region speak two distinctive dialects of Jula. The common (and now dominant) Jula spoken in the streets of Bobo-Dioulasso is a close variation ofBamana, the majority language of neighboringMali.
It was brought to the area during the French colonial administration (1898–1960) by the government interpreters and by the soldiers of the colonial army, who were majority speakers of this language. Most people speak this Jula as a second language, after the official language of French. The people of Jula ethnicity, whether trader, Muslim-clerical, or warrior origin, speak a different dialect of Jula. It is similar to that spoken inIvory Coast, from where their ancestors are believed to have come. In the city this dialect is called Kon-Jula; it is an ethnic marker of a particular community.[22]
The population of the city keeps rapidly rising; it rose from 904,920 in 2019[1] to 1,129,000 in 2023.[1]
Classified by theKöppen-Geiger system Bobo-Dioulasso has atropical wet and dry climate (Aw). During its hottest months, its temperatures are slightly less hot than the more northern capital,Ouagadougou. The city has adry season that spans from October through April while thewet season covers the remaining five months. The city experiences its highest temperatures during the dry season with average highs routinely exceeding 38 °C (100 °F). However, humidity is markedly lower during that season so theapparent temperature is more reflective of the actual temperature. The wet season in contrast features lower temperatures but much higher humidity. The apparent temperature during the wet season at times can exceed the apparent temperature during the dry season despite the lower temperatures. Bobo-Dioulasso on average sees roughly 1,000 mm (40 in) of precipitation annually.
| Climate data for Bobo-Dioulasso (1991–2020, extremes 1936–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 39.7 (103.5) | 41.2 (106.2) | 46.0 (114.8) | 42.0 (107.6) | 41.0 (105.8) | 38.6 (101.5) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.6 (96.1) | 35.6 (96.1) | 37.5 (99.5) | 38.0 (100.4) | 37.5 (99.5) | 46.0 (114.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.1 (91.6) | 35.9 (96.6) | 37.8 (100.0) | 37.4 (99.3) | 35.4 (95.7) | 32.7 (90.9) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.8 (85.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 33.5 (92.3) | 34.9 (94.8) | 33.5 (92.3) | 33.8 (92.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) | 28.8 (83.8) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30.8 (87.4) | 29.3 (84.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.6 (81.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.1 (66.4) | 22.0 (71.6) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 22.7 (72.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.5 (70.7) | 21.5 (70.7) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.4 (70.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 22.1 (71.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 15.5 (59.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 12.8 (55.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 0.7 (0.03) | 1.7 (0.07) | 17.1 (0.67) | 53.7 (2.11) | 98.3 (3.87) | 132.6 (5.22) | 207.3 (8.16) | 269.0 (10.59) | 195.5 (7.70) | 71.6 (2.82) | 5.8 (0.23) | 0.7 (0.03) | 1,054 (41.50) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 13.1 | 15.5 | 13.6 | 6.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 72.4 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 25 | 25 | 32 | 49 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 69 | 51 | 32 | 55 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 277.4 | 250.0 | 248.1 | 227.4 | 247.6 | 225.8 | 206.9 | 178.3 | 208.0 | 266.4 | 284.8 | 279.2 | 2,899.9 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 80 | 76 | 67 | 63 | 68 | 62 | 51 | 48 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 75 | 66 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organization[23] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, humidity 1951–1967, and percent sunshine 1961–1990)[24][25][a] | |||||||||||||
Bobo-Dioulasso travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
