1984 — Upper Volta Is Renamed Burkina Faso

On August 4, 1984, revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara erased the colonial name Upper Volta, renaming his country Burkina Faso — the Land of Incorruptible People. Sankara had seized power in a 1983 coup at just thirty-three, and he made the renaming a total break with the French colonial past in name, language, and symbol.

Citizens became Burkinabè, and a new red-and-green flag with a yellow star replaced colonial symbols. Though Sankara was assassinated three years later, the name he chose endures. Every time it is spoken, it recalls his dream of African dignity and self-reliance, and a country defined by integrity.