African art
Burkina Faso is a small, landlocked country north of Ghana and south of Mali and Niger. Economically, it is one of the four or five poorest countries in the world. Culturally, it is extremely rich. In part this is because so few people from Burkina have become Muslim or Christian. Many of the ancient artistic traditions for which Africa is so well known have been preserved in Burkina Faso because so many people continue to honor the ancestral spirits, and the spirits of nature. In great part they honor the spirits through the use of masks and carved figures. Many of the countries to the north of Burkina Faso had become predominantly Muslim, while many of the countries to the south of Burkina Faso are heavily Christian. In contrast many of the people of Burkina Faso continue to offer prayers and sacrifices to the spirits of nature and to the spirits of their ancestors. The result is that they continue to use the sorts of art that we see in museums in Europe and America.
Bittou
Bittou is a town and seat of the Bittou Department of Boulgou Province in south-eastern Burkina Faso. The town is a stop on the caravan trading route. Today the town is located along the N16 Road which links Burkina Faso with Northern Togo and Ghana (via Togo). In 1898 the French Colonial Army built a fort here to keep the British Colonial Army from capturing the area. As of 2005, the town has a population of 15,459.