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Burkina Faso |
PEACE
The date of 30 March 2001 will be forever engraved in letters of gold
in
Burkina Faso’s annals.
This was the day the Burkinabe chose to get together
in order to reflect on what has happened in the past,
and to forgive one
another
The National Day of Forgiveness was the first of its kind to be held in Burkina Faso. It followed a recommendation made by the College of Advisors which was established on 21 May 1999 by Burkina’s President. Although the day passed off peacefully enough, it became clear that major differences still exist between politicians. The Burkinabe are still not yet united with themselves.
During the National Day of Forgiveness on 30 March 2001, President Blaise Compaore addressed the nation thus: «At this solemn movement, in my capacity as President of Burkina Faso and in order to ensure the State’s continuity, it is my duty to ask all our citizens to beg forgiveness from each other and to express their deep regret for the torture, the crimes, the injustices, the victimisation and all other wrongs committed on fellow Burkinabe, acting in the name of and under the protection of the State, from 1960 to the present day». The President described the political upheaval that had taken place in the country since Independence in 1960. He emphasised the national responsibility for all this. Then he said that even though he is Head of State, he has every intention of taking part in the Day’s activities.
The National Day of Forgiveness is an integral part of the need for reconciliation, among a people still experiencing the anguish of grudges and intolerance — the fruit of a succession of political regimes, most of which paid court to the serious mistakes that distorted the very fabric of society. Forty years of independence, of which almost twenty-five have been the result of coups; that’s the former Upper Volta’s sad history where a peaceful society and the population’s safety have been severely tested.
Burkina Faso’s socio-political landscape is such, that no-one can take credit for being entirely innocent of the many economic and murderous crimes that pepper the country’s history. The various governments em-erged as a result of military takeovers, which were often prepared and organised by civilian political groups. The military were not alone in bearing responsibility for these, since they were often commanded by civilians. So, although Burkina Faso has experienced the entire military hierarchy in terms of Presidents (a general, a colonel, a commander and two captains), it should also be added that the entire political and intellectual elite was also used, and every ideology practised (communist, socialist, liberal, social-democrat, etc.).
When considering economic crimes, you’ve only to consider how public funds have been administered, together with on-going corruption and other peccadillos, to appreciate the seriousness of the situation. And it’s our country’s political leaders who are largely to blame. Not content with supporting influence peddling, they all behaved like real predators, using their parties’ resources as if they were their own personal wealth. Consequently, political parties never played their true role, democracy was trapped, causing the militants to despair, feeding frustration and coups d’etat. And it was much worse among civil society leaders.
The social crisis suffered by the country in the last two years severely tested social cohesion and national unity. A contributing factor was the heinous murder of the journalist Norbert Zongo and his three companions on 13 December 1998. Following this tragedy, Burkina Faso became the scene of one demonstration after the other — the authority’s use of tear gas became part of the people’s daily lives. They lost all confidence in the usual instruments of government and authority. This meant the powers-that-be had to set up special institutions to study the situation and suggest remedies. The College of Advisors was established to calm the situation. The College suggested a three-fold solution: truth, justice and national reconciliation, along with the organisation of a Day of Forgiveness.
The magic of forgiveness
Although everyone agreed such a Day was an excellent idea, differences were expressed on how to implement it. Some said truth and justice should come before forgiveness; others, including most of Burkina’s «official channels», believed that forgiveness does not prevent the search for truth and justice.
Reconciliation is all-important if the country is to progress. It was recommended by Burkina’s traditional and religious leaders and by the victims’ parents. In his Lenten Message on 9 March 2001, Archbishop Jean-Marie Compaore of Ouagadougou, wrote: «The situation in our country obliges me to ask you to embrace whole-heartedly the love of one’s neighbour — to be men and women of peace. Such a person is prepared to welcome back the enemy and thus restore the situation in which everyone has a place. If we are able to forgive, then we become men and women of peace. Forgiveness is the royal road to peace».
On 30 March, President Compaore made a final appeal to all Burkinabe to be sincere in forgiving others, so as to overcome the final obstacle separating them from true peace and reconciliation with their fellow citizens — a move that is absolutely essential if their country is to move forward.
Such was the background to the National Day of Forgiveness. It aimed at: Encouraging everyone to make a common effort to turn a painful page in their country’s history; making a clean break with what had taken place under previous regimes; working unceasingly so that Burkina Faso can move forward. Society suffers and is damaged because of poorly resolved social crises, the denial of dialogue, the lack of tolerance and foresight on the part of politicians. What’s happened in many African countries (and elsewhere) is there for all to see. Conversely, South Africa, Mali, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire have all used the path to forgiveness to try to end the downward spiral that threatens their cohesion and wrecks all their efforts for development.
Various reactions
In Burkina, not everyone contributed to the organisation of the National Day of Forgiveness, especially many politicians. Many people couldn’t make up their minds. Some people were still influenced by what had previously taken place, especially when their nearest and dearest had been victims of political violence, and so could not bring themselves to forgive. Others, however, even though they had lost someone close to them in the same conditions, nonetheless supported the National Day of Forgiveness. Truth to say, you can’t ask everyone to react in the same way. President Compaore knew this and thus appealed to everyone who had chosen other ways of demonstrating on the Day of Forgiveness, not to close the door to forgiveness. He asked them to show responsibility, so that together, Burkina’s citizens could seek the way of peace and justice.
Politicians, leaders in general and religious leaders all showed a keen interest in the National Day of Forgiveness. The President announced seven steps to soothe hearts and repair wrongs. Not all politicians supported these steps. But everyone, however, recognised the need to turn the spotlight on economic crimes and murderous deeds in order to achieve true national reconciliation. All that remains is to hope that after the Day of Forgiveness and the counter-demonstrations, free and open dialogue will be restored so that Burkina Faso can pull herself out of the quagmire in which she has so nearly sunk.
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