5 d. ago On the right track: the record label reaching out to Cameroon’s street talent

Born in Douala prison and hailed for helping young people stay out of trouble, the success of Jail Time Records has persuaded Burkina Faso to let the label branch out thereIt does not take long for a crowd to gather when the Jail Time Records van pulls up to the kerb and starts blasting music in Cameroon’s port city, Douala. Set up not just to play music but as a mobile recording studio, too, the van passes through the city’s poorer neighbourhoods, offering the microphone to Douala’s aspiring but unguided young musicians.The goal is to scout for new talent while also helping out young people in areas plagued by drugs and crime. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Al Djanat: The Original Paradise review – striking account of Burkina Faso homecoming

Chloé Aïcha Boro’s watchful documentary charts the disharmony and legal wrangling caused by a dispute in her family over sacred burial landEconomic and financial woes cast a dark shadow over family bonds in Chloé Aïcha Boro’s contemplative, searching documentary. Returning to her Burkina Faso village after decades of living in France, Boro experiences an emotional paradox intimately known by all immigrants. Once-familiar places turn foreign, since the migrator has undergone huge internal changes of their own. And with the recent passing of her uncle Ousmane Coulibaly, the head of her extended Muslim family, Boro’s homecoming is marred by disharmony. Between Coulibaly’s brothers and his 19 children, warring interests over inherited land rage on.The film returns time and again to a sacred courtyard where, for centuries, the umbilical cords of Coulibaly newborns have been buried to ensure their ascendence to heaven in the afterlife. More than a ritual, the tradition concretises the lin...

Events

1 week ago A Golden Life review – childhood is collateral in Burkina Faso’s search for gold

An intimately shot documentary captures the dignity and resilience of teenagers who toil in mines where companionship is the only consolation for graftFor those toiling in the Bantara goldmine in Burkina Faso, their life is largely shrouded in darkness. Centered on a 16-year-old called Rasmané, Boubacar Sangaré’s sombre documentary goes deep into the claustrophobic environment that the ill-treated workers endure. Each morning, Rasmané is lowered down a 100m shaft which leads to narrow tunnels wet with mud. As the day goes on, he is caked with the sediment as his back muscles buckle under the strenuous digging. His cramped living quarters – a rickety shed made of straw and plastic tarps – offer little relief; Rasmané has to turn to medication to ease the pain.Moving between closeups and aerial shots, the film draws a visual link between the abuse inflicted on the scarred soil, and the physical strain on the workers’ bodies. In this precarious industry where human beings are treated a...

Politics

1 week ago A Golden Life review – childhood is collateral damage in Burkina Faso’s search for gold

An intimately shot documentary captures the dignity and resilience of teenagers who toil in mines where companionship is the only consolation for graftFor those toiling in the Bantara goldmine in Burkina Faso, their life is largely shrouded in darkness. Centered on a 16-year-old called Rasmané, Boubacar Sangaré’s sombre documentary goes deep into the claustrophobic environment that the ill-treated workers endure. Each morning, Rasmané is lowered down a 100m shaft which leads to narrow tunnels wet with mud. As the day goes on, he is caked with the sediment as his back muscles buckle under the strenuous digging. His cramped living quarters – a rickety shed made of straw and plastic tarps – offer little relief; Rasmané has to turn to medication to ease the pain.Moving between closeups and aerial shots, the film draws a visual link between the abuse inflicted on the scarred soil, and the physical strain on the workers’ bodies. In this precarious industry where human beings are treated a...

Events

2 w. ago Burkina Faso's military leaders turn to 'Africa's Che Guevara' to rally struggling country

The military rulers of Burkina Faso have turned to a man once known as “Africa’s Che Guevara” as a way to rally a country struggling to defeat extremists and turning away from former Western allies

Events

2 w. ago Leeds Marriott review: The perfect hotel in a British shopper's paradise city

EXCLUSIVE: The Daily Star's resident 'wait, Leeds is a place people actually go for a visit' expert Adam Cailler took his family to the Leeds Marriott hotel - and was more than impressed

Politics

3 w. ago Fact Check: Clip of uniformed men in London miscaptioned as North Korean troops in Burkina Faso

Fact Check: Clip of uniformed men in London miscaptioned as North Korean troops in Burkina Faso  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago Africa's youngest leader, a friend of Russia, is celebrated by some and criticized by others

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore has sparked a social media debate, with some in Africa praising him and others criticizing him

Politics

3 w. ago Burkina Faso forces killed at least 100 civilians in a March attack, Human Rights Watch says

Human Rights Watch says at least 100 civilians in Burkina Faso were killed by government forces near the town of Solenzo in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region in an attack in March

Events