A distinctive way to explore the culture of the Centre region is through two different areas of focus: youth development and bronze craft. The Centre Lukaré is associated with training programmes for young people. These are intended to prepare the next generation through a dialogue between cultural heritage and creative work. For travellers interested in the connection between inherited heritage and artistic development, this approach offers a concrete focal point.

Training and Bronze Craft in Centre

The Vitrine du Bronze offers a different perspective. The city administration established it to promote bronze craft and make it easier to sell its products at markets. The areas of focus therefore differ: the Centre Lukaré focuses on training through a dialogue between cultural heritage and creative work, while the Vitrine focuses on promoting the craft and selling its products at markets.

The Monument de la mère et de l’enfant is also one of the attractions of the Centre region.

Beyond Centre: Cultural Heritage in Burkina Faso

The Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso offer a historical perspective on the country. Remarkably well-preserved iron-ore smelting furnaces can be found at Tiwêga, Yamané, Kindibo and Békuy. These are among the very few sites in the country with furnaces still standing. As large-scale production sites, they illustrate the intensification of iron production in the second millennium AD.

These historic sites are directly connected to living blacksmithing traditions in Yamané, Kindibo and Douroula. The symbolic values of ironworking form part of life in communities descended from blacksmiths and metallurgists. Blacksmiths preserve inherited rites and social practices and play an important role in their communities. The connection extends from the intensification of iron production in the second millennium to blacksmithing traditions that remain alive today.

The Royal Court of Tiébélé in Burkina Faso is a living complex of earthen architecture. Its building materials include earth, wood, cow dung and straw. Other defining features include its spatial, social and functional layout, the variety of architectural forms and its decorative style. Within the court, spatial and social order is determined by the status of its residents; the roles of men and women in construction are also among its characteristics. The materials describe what is used to build, while the layout and status-based order also show the relationship between architecture and social organisation.

Landscape and Wildlife in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex includes Arly National Park as well as the Koakrana and Kourtiagou hunting zones. The complex protects nearly all the flora and fauna characteristic of the area and provides important habitats for typical West African large mammals, including African manatees, cheetahs, lions, leopards, African wild dogs and roan antelopes.

Discover more travel destinations: Kadiogo, Kadiogo, Centre-Nord, Hauts-Bassins, Centre-Ouest, Cascades, Plateau Central

Return to the main travel overview: Burkina Faso.