CHI Sunnyside E19: Values and Culture in Self Defense, Burkina Faso Day of Customs and Traditions

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Hosts: Giziribtah Debasah & Kasabez Maakmaah

In this special live episode, we cover Burkina Faso's new national holiday, the Day of Customs and Traditions. We cover the transitional president, Captain Ibrahim Traore's historic visit to the National Culture Museum in the nation's capital, Ouagadougou, where he reemphasized the importance of traditional knowledge in the protection of Burkinabe communities and lands, particularly in the face of the scourge of jihadist terrorism sweeping the Sahel region of Africa for nearly 15 years now.

Your hosts field questions from the live audience on the emergence of the Alliance des États du Sahel (Alliace of Sahel States, or AES) between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in response to aggression and sanctions imposed by ECOWAS (Economic Organization of West African States) aimed at pressuring Niger to restore power to their deposed president last year.

We noted the history that has led to the emergence of this alliance and the break of its leaders from the democratic model that has failed to bring benefit to the people of their countries. The Day of Customs and Traditions brought to light the value instead of traditional masks and hunters' societies such as the Dosso in Bobo Dioulasso, Western Burkina Faso and the neighboring countries of Mali and Ivory Coast.

We express the message The Day of Customs and Traditions brings to the people of Burkina Faso to return to reliance on their traditional knowledge and ways of life to address their problems without continued dependence on foreign aid and interference.

We talked about the value of traditional knowledge for those of us in the "West" where that knowledge is lacking, and the benefit of seeking it wherever we can find it. We discussed the historical movements for liberation in the West and how they have been derailed or coopted and the importance of having strong values to protect our institutions, knowing the history of COINTELPRO and other efforts to subvert our grassroots movements.

We also fielded questions on the spiritual and strategic approaches to community defense and protection in line with our ongoing series on the topic. The the many was we can protect ourselves before the possibility of violence comes into play, including the veneration of Ancestors, Deities, Genie and the forces of nature our lives depend on in general.