Banwa: The 3rd edition of the Banwa arts and culture festival launched in the town of Solenzo, drawing significant attention and participation from the local community. The festival, which kicked off on Thursday, May 1, 2025, is organized by the Banwa provincial directorate of communication, culture, arts and tourism.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the event is sponsored by the High Commissioner, Sanfi©nal© Joseph Sirima, who proudly hosted the opening ceremony. The festival promises three days filled with performances from the province’s renowned mask and dance troupes, musical artists, and local culinary experts, aiming to captivate the community.
Kouintani Sanou, the provincial director of communication, culture, arts and tourism, emphasized the festival’s objectives, highlighting its role in promoting and preserving the province’s cultural heritage. The absence of the festival since its last edition in 2021 was due to security concerns, making this year’s event even more significant for the community.
Siaka Kouenou, the patron of this edition, articulated the importance of cultural understanding and development. He stated, “No people can develop if they ignore their own culture because all countries and all peoples who have been able to survive and develop have relied on their culture, their traditions, and their ancestral way of doing things.”
The festival features a vibrant parade of fiber masks and traditional dance troupes, offering leisure and entertainment to a culture-thirsty audience. Each participating village showcases small dance and exhibition demonstrations, with white masks making appearances nightly from 10 p.m. until dawn throughout the festival.
The High Commissioner expressed his satisfaction with the festival’s organization and its cultural significance. He remarked, “We encourage and support any initiative aimed at giving a radiant face to our beloved province and contributing to the promotion of culture because it is said that a people who do not know their past, their origins and their culture are a tree without roots.”
The town of Solenzo is expected to be enlivened by this cultural and ancestral celebration from May 1st to 3rd, providing joy and cultural enrichment to its inhabitants.