The price of life is too high!

Life is seeping slowly back into the city, some doors are opening to stores and people are out heading about their daily routines. It has been 2 days now of strikes, which resemble more like a riot than what I know as a strike. Last night there was an eerie calm about the city as we were under a city wide curfew and all the street lights were turned off. Normally lively streets were empty and a hush seemed to loom over the houses.

It started Wednesday morning when a group of merchants and consumers went to city hall to present a petition about raising taxes and raising prices. They were met with tear gas. Groups dispersed all over the city. The downtown was shattered. Rocks were thrown, signs were ripped up and much was destroyed. There is not a street light left functional or a stop sign left standing. Tires and garbage burned on most streets from the down town right to my neighbourhood, which is in sort a suburb. Though much was destroyed and the police and army were out, not too much violence occurred (other then against signs and kiosks). Fingers are still being pointed between the governments, the merchants and the consumers as to whose fault it is for prices rising and whose responsibility it is to resolve the present problem.

In the past few months basic necessities have raised in price by 67%. Burkina is one of the poorest nations in the world and yet gas cost 500-600F cfa per liter, that is equal to the 1.00$ -1.10$ per liter in Canada. Though it must be noted that about 40% of the population of Burkina makes less that 1$ per day (500 F cfa). Since our arrival we have seen bread increase by 30% from 100F cfa to 130F cfa for the baguette. Cooking oil went from 800F cfa to 1000F cfa in the past month. All this just adds to the stress that last growing season was largely a failure for many farmers, with the rains starting late and ending abruptly and early. Burkina is a country where 90% of people are involved in agriculture whether it is to grow food for their family or as farming as a business. The cities are also rampant with unemployment, with many youth with nothing to do.

The strike took place in three cities simultaneously, Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouahigouya and Kenedougou. It is being organized to strike in Ouagadougou around February 28^th and is estimated to be much worse. Ouaga is a big city, it’s the capital and it houses much of the government so there is so much more to break!

In all this I do have to say we have been safe. School and work were cancelled for 2 days, and things are just starting to come back to life. We stayed home, listened to our neighbours and have heard many a debate.

As the debate continues and as the city tries to pick up the pieces I can’t help but wonder what the answers to so many questions are. How do you address the rise in basic necessities when already much of the population is scraping by to make ends meet? How do you address the distrust of the population for the government and their use of taxes? How does a government in needs of funding create the social services, roads and address the needs of its population? What needs to happen to create a more balanced society between the haves and the have nots?

http://www.sidwaya.bf/dossier_manifestation-vie-chere.htm