Zorgho: The Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Pindgwende Gilbert Ouedraogo, announced on Sunday his department’s support for the revival of the Warba Festival and the rehabilitation of the Warba Museum in Zorgho.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Minister Gilbert Ouedraogo paid tribute to the 26th chief of Zorgho, Naaba Sanem, after returning from Tenkodogo where the Tourism Entrepreneur’s Night was held.

Mr. Ouedraogo reaffirmed the government’s desire, under the leadership of the President of Faso, to promote cultural heritage and traditional know-how. He praised the commitment of Naaba Sanem to the preservation and promotion of local culture. The minister also expressed the wish to see the revival of the Warba Festival, initiated in 1999 by the Association Generations Montantes and interrupted since 2021.

Under the leadership of Naaba Sanem, the festival aims to bring back into the spotlight the warba, an emblematic dance of Ganzourgou and a symbol of Burkinabe cultural identity. The head of Zorgho welcomed this initiative and promised to be actively involved, alongside local stakeholders, to restore the festival to its former glory.

The ministerial delegation then visited the Warba Museum in Zorgho, where an exhibition entitled “Warba, dance of resilience and social cohesion” traces the history, outfits, and instruments linked to this legendary dance. At the end of the visit, the minister urged the regional director of Culture Haoua Traore to mobilize partners for the rehabilitation of the museum, in order to make it a tourist attraction and a true showcase of the cultural heritage of Ganzourgou.