Much of Burkina Faso is populated by descendants of the Mossi empire, founded when a band of horsemen from nearby Ghana galloped through at the turn of the 15th century. Unlike other African countries that governed through non-hierarchical village systems, the Mossi organised a blue-blooded empire that even The Firm at Windsor Castle would be hard pressed to match. They developed courts of law, administrative bodies, ministerial positions, and a cavalry to protect the realm. The later proved to be critical in resisting the hostile advances of their Muslim neighbours and explains why, even today, Burkina Faso is one of the few West African countries that's not predominantly Muslim.

Things remained relatively stable in Upper Volta (as it was then known) until the French began nosing around in 1897. Having already moved into the neighbourhood, they decided to bring a little imperial

When outright colonisation finally started to lose its sex appeal in the middle of the 20th century, Upper Volta was one of the most vocal in calling for the return of independence. In 1960, Maurice Yaméogo, himself a Mossi, was elected as the countries first president. Unfortunately Yaméogo confused electoral success with a mandate to do as he pleased. A set of disastrous economic policies, coupled with a liberal attitude toward corruption, led to riots and demonstrations by the general populace. In 1966, a military-led coup ousted Yaméogo from office for, among other things, feathering his own nest with public funds.The power vacuum created by Yaméogo's absence ushered in nearly two decades of coups and counter coups, culminating in Captain Thomas Sankara, a young left-wing socialist, taking over the reins.

Sankara turned out to be something of a maverick. Showing a flair for the public flourish, he renamed the country Burkina Faso (which translates as 'country of honest men' or 'country of the incorruptibles'), and immediately set about implementing a set of radical socialist policies. In blitzkrieg style, he immunised every child against measles and yellow fever, trained home-grown doctors for every rural village, built over 350 schools, reduced ministerial privileges and overspending, started building a railway line to the Niger border, and painted Ouagadougou a non-Marxist white. These unabashedly socialist policies made him a hero to the general populace but did nothing for his standing among the elite. There was a collective intake of breath in the well-to-do circles when he slashed ministerial salaries by 25%, and tribal leaders worried that his habit of consultation with the people at a grassroots level undermined their traditional authority.

Western countries, too, did a fair bit of brow-furrowing and hand wringing over Sankar's friendship with Gaddafi - that and the fact that he was never shy about denouncing western imperialism. Predictably, he didn't last long. In an

Relations with neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire have suffered recently due to the expulsion of some 12,000 migrant Burkinabé farmers who are now refugees in the environs of Gaoua. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2005.

Burkina Faso has over 60 ethnic groups, each with its own social and cultural distinction, but all emphatically Burkinabé. The major groups include the Bobo who live around the city of Bobo Dioulassa, the Fulani, the Lobi, and the Sénufo, but the most significant and dominant group are the Mossi. The Mossi are descendants of a royal empire and the emperor, or Moro-Naba, possesses tremendous social cachet and influence. Some Mossi descendants are Muslims but Burkina Faso is notable for the fact that it is one of the few West African countries that is not predominantly Muslim. Almost half the population still follow traditional animist beliefs.

Each ethnic group has its own artistic style but the art of the Mossi, Bobo and Lobi are the most famous. The Mossi are known for their antelope masks; impressively tall masks, which are over 2m (7ft) high and painted in red or white. The masks are usually worn at funerals and when guarding certain fruits. The Bobo make large butterfly masks, painted in stripes of red, white and black, that are used to invoke the deity Do in fertility ceremonies. The Bobo actually have an entire zoos-worth of animal masks but the butterfly masks are the only ones worn horizontally. The Lobi have one of the best preserved traditions in Africa, including the dyoro initiation rites for young boys. Lobi art, especially the wood carvings, which protect the family, are highly valued.

Burkina Faso has led the way in the renaissance of African art and culture. The FESPACO Film Festival, occuring every two years, had a humble beginning in 1969 but has since grown to become a chic West African version of Hollywood's independent cine scene, without the pouting next-biggest-thing, air kissing executives, and frenzied bidding wars. A different cultural festival, occurring in the non-FESPACO years, covers other artistic pursuits - music, dancing and theatre. As an adjunct to this, Burkina Faso hosts the continent's largest craft market.

Gourmands who believe that solid food is only necessary because the sauce has to go on something will love the food in Burkina Faso; everything comes with sauce. It's a bit weird, really, when you consider Burkina Faso's French connections but the fact is you get sauce with everything: sauce with rice (riz sauce), vegetable sauce with rice (riz gras), a fish-based sauce (sauce de poisson), sauce with beef and eggplant (boeuf sauce aubergine) and sauce with mutton and tomatoes (mouton sauce tomatoe). In rural areas, bush rat (with or without sauce) is considered a delicacy.