Gambiaj.com – (OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso) – Burkina Faso’s military authorities have banned 18 cultural and recreational events across the country, citing concerns over public morality and public order, as part of a broader government campaign to “clean up” the artistic and cultural sector.
The Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts, and Tourism has issued formal notices to organizers of the events, ordering them to suspend the planned activities. The latest measures form part of a policy of “sanitation and civic education” in the cultural sector launched by the authorities in March 2025.
Events suspended across the country
Among the events affected are “The Out Side” in Loumbila and “Golden Moment,” which had been scheduled for August 14 and 15 at the Ouagadougou Sports Palace, as well as “Tropical Summer,” “Ouaga Summer,” and “Urban Vibes.”
In Bobo-Dioulasso, the measures affect events including “Ouaga Plage,” “Ouaga Fiesta,” and “Ouaga Vibes.”
Some of the suspended programmes were not limited to entertainment. “Urban Vibes”, for example, was expected to showcase local artists while also featuring awareness campaigns on breast cancer and road safety, alongside tree-planting activities.
The ministry nevertheless ordered promoters to cancel or postpone the events, warning that failure to comply could result in administrative sanctions.
These could include the withdrawal of authorizations, fines, and, in more serious cases, a ban on carrying out artistic or related activities.
Part of wider cultural restrictions
The latest bans come amid increasingly stringent regulation of Burkina Faso’s cultural sector under the military authorities.
In early June, the government also suspended women’s beauty pageants pending the adoption of new regulations that officials said would better reflect “national cultural values.” Nearly two months later, those new rules have yet to be made public.
The authorities say their broader campaign is aimed at regulating the creation, promotion, distribution, and performance of artistic works and ensuring that cultural activities comply with existing laws, particularly those relating to public order and morality.
The military government has also linked the policy to the promotion of cultural values associated with the Popular Progressive Revolution, its political project for Burkina Faso.
Artist ordered to remove publications
The restrictions have also extended to individual artists.
On Thursday, the ministry ordered musician Kosa Pic to remove certain publications linked to his latest artistic creation, saying the material was also considered contrary to public morality.
The government maintains that the measures are necessary to restore discipline and promote responsible artistic expression.
However, the growing number of suspended cultural events and interventions in artistic content underscores the increasingly restrictive environment facing Burkina Faso’s creative sector under the military authorities.
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