The colony went bankrupt during the Great Depression, and from 1933 until 1947 Upper Volta was divided between Soudan (now Mali), Niger, and Côte d'Ivoire. However, the lack of money to support the colonial regime in Burkina Faso meant that the French had to rely upon the traditional rulers, especially the kings and chiefs of the Mossi, the largest ethnic group, to administer the colony. The French, much more than the British, intended to assimilate the peoples they ruled to French values and institutions. The French conquered it in 1896–97, just ahead of expeditions of the British from what is now Ghana and Germans from Togo. The new name, Burkina Faso, was adopted as part of the Revolution of 1983 to signify a fresh start for the country, and is a name created from words of three languages in the country to mean “country of upright or incorruptible men.” The shorter form Burkina is commonly used Burkinabe is the adjectival form of the name and is the singular and plural term for the country's citizens.īurkina Faso was one of the last parts of Africa to be conquered by Europeans. Known as Upper Volta until 1984, the former French colony has struggled against drought, isolation with respect to transportation for exports, and a general lack of money for development. 1: Dyula Mossi Tuaregs INTRODUCTIONīurkina Faso is one of the economically poorest countries in Africa, and one of the least known to Americans. RELIGION: Islam, traditional religions, Christianity LANGUAGE: French, Gur Group (Niger-Congo family of languages), Bobo-Dioulasso