Beyond Slogans: Boucle du Mouhoun Governor Babo Pierre Bassinga Reveals the True Meaning of Patriotism

As part of the Days of Patriotic Commitment and Citizen Participation held between October 2 and 16, the governor of Boucle du Mouhoun was in front of journalists for a grand oral presentation on October 16. For about fifty minutes, Babo Pierre Bassinga spoke about different activities’ these days before tackling other aspects.

Facing Grégoire le Grand Zongo from Salaki radio and Pauline Bicaba from RTB 2 Dédougou, Babo pierre Bassinga addressed the news for the first time. These are days of patriotic commitment and citizen participation. He will say that the goal these days is to revive the patriotic fiber. “Patriotism, beyond saying homeland or death, is a series of actions,” he explained. A number of activities were carried out during these days. These include, among other things, blood donation, raising awareness of the harms of drug use in schools, sporting activities and Patriot’s Night on October 15. This Patriot’s Night is punctuated by the singing of the national anthem, a minute’s silence and followed by the lighting of candles as well as testimony about Captain Thomas Sankara. The public who came out today also had the pleasure of a theatrical piece to magnify the courage of the FDS and all the fighting forces who had notable victories. The results of these days activities are considered satisfactory by Governor Bassinga.
“The situation is not alarming”
On the security and humanitarian level, the chief administrative officer of the region will say that the situation is not alarming. For him, in 2022 it was difficult to go 20 km because some areas were completely besieged by evil forces. Major breakthroughs have been made to address the security issue. Therefore, a number of villages and hamlets of crops that were previously evicted have been reconquered and resettled. Babo Pierre Bassinga also noted that the question of supplies does not pose a problem in the region.
“154 schools reopened this year”
In the field of education, the governor says there is good news. In 2023, many closed schools have reopened and allowed many children who were at home to return to school and benefit from education. “This year, 154 schools have reopened their doors and 308 schools are in the process of opening, 64 will reopen by January 2025,” said the governor.
“The agricultural season is looking very good despite the floods recorded”
The health component first involved the Dédougou regional university hospital center, which is still under construction. For the first person in charge of the region, it is essential to have this hospital but we must go step by step. For him, the pressing question on the health level is the functioning of the mother-child pulse. Babo Pierre Bassinga also spoke on the occurrence of fatal accidents in the town of Dédougou. He believes that awareness must continue at this level.
“The agricultural campaign is looking very good despite the floods that have been recorded,” says the governor when addressing the agricultural aspect. He notes that he has done field trips and that the fields look good. “What we have been able to see in our excursions, thanks above all to the offensive agrosilvopastoral, production will be far beyond the objectives set by the ministerial level. The provision of tractors and inputs also contributed to the achievement of these results.
At the end of this interview, the governor recalled the wealth of the region which is full of huge agrosylvopastoral potential and which contributes to 20% of national cereal production; hence his name Grenier du Burkina. Another wealth of the region is also its daughters and sons. Babo Pierre Bassinga invited the sons and daughters of the region to have a sense of patriotic commitment like Captain Thomas Sankara in order to build a new Burkina.
Arnaud Lassina LOUGUE
Reporter Dédougou