The dust appears to have settled following the recent coup in the west African state of Burkina Faso. A televised statement on January 31 named Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim leader and said that the independence of the judiciary as well as freedom of speech and movement had been restored. The Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration – the name chosen by the interim military government – would, a spokesperson said, ensure “the continuity of the state pending the establishment of transitional bodies”.
The coup played out while the authors were in Ouagadougou, Burkina’s capital, researching local radio’s vital role in the country and organising a new training course on journalism, communication and conflict. We observed at close quarters how the media – both mainstream and social – influenced the way events unfolded.
Across much of Francophone western Africa, the control of the media – once an exclusive tool for governments – now appears increasingly disputed thanks to the internet. It has become an increasingly important factor at the core of power and politics.
