10/02/2026
Burkina Faso is undertaking a major revision of its history, geography and civic-education curricula, with authorities seeking to remove terminology they say reflects colonial-era perspectives of Africa.
The country’s Minister of Secondary Education, Vocational and Technical Training, Professor Moumouni Zoungrana, announced the reform in September 2026, saying some expressions used in existing school materials are demeaning to Africans and do not adequately reflect the country’s historical experience.
One of the most notable changes concerns how European figures involved in Africa’s colonial expansion are described. Authorities have criticised the use of terms such as “explorers” and “conquerors”, with the revised approach expected to describe European colonial forces as “invaders” instead.
The government says the broader reform is intended to give Burkinabè students a stronger understanding of their own history, culture and resistance to colonial rule. It forms part of a wider effort by Burkina Faso’s authorities to make education more closely aligned with national identity and local realities.
The change is being introduced as the 2026–2027 school year begins. Because completely new textbooks will take time to produce, authorities plan to provide teachers with an interim guide explaining which terminology and content should be changed while revised textbooks are developed.
Burkina Faso’s existing online curriculum still contains lessons titled “The explorations and the Congress of Berlin” and lessons on European pe*******on, conquest and resistance, illustrating the type of historical material now being reviewed.
The reform has generated discussion over how African colonial history should be taught and whether changing terminology can provide a more complete account of the past. For now, the clearest confirmed development is that Burkina Faso is revising its school curricula and directing educators toward a different framing of European colonial expansion, rather than simply introducing a single new textbook.