Living Environment
VOKOUMA Jocelyne (Burkina Faso)
In Burkina Faso, I am living in a town named Ouagadougou. It is the capital city.
Therefore, we met all kind of people from everywhere. Politically, Ouagadougou has fiveadministrative

districts

Baskuy,Bogodogo,

Boulmiougou,

Nongremassom

andSig-Noghin, readed respectively by a different mayor. Among the five mayors, there isone woman. I am living in the Nongremassom district. There are five important medical
centers created by government (one), non- governmental organizations’ leaders (three)and private (one). Each district has itsquarters. Nongremassom’s district quarters

are Tanghin, Somgande, Zogona, Toudouwego, Kossodo, and Nioko.
I am living in Somgande. Besides the Mayor who is male, we also have a traditional
chief named Naaba Kangho. His role is to assist modern authorities, by helping them tosolve problems traditionally way. There are two public schools and many privates ones.
Public schools are called Somgande A,Somgande B and Somgande C. In Somgande,

there is a market and a business center where every thing is salt. Somgande is a
developing quarter and one of economic seats. There are high training and research
institutes like the National University Institute of Technology, and Institute ofScience of Society. The biggest university of Burkina Faso and is at Nongremassom inOuagadougou.
One of the famous hotels of Burkina Faso, “Hotel Mercure Silmande” is in theNongremassom’s District. We also have a protected national park named “ParkBangre-weogo” in Nongremassom. This park has different kinds of animals and vegetalspecies. The park of Bangre-Weogo is a natural biological and botanical laboratory.
Schools and teachers often organize some trips to discover the Burkina Faso experiencethrough the promote and protection of the environment. Somgande has a park forchildren to play. Its name is “Faso Park” near “Park Bangre- Weogo”. “Faso Park”
means “the Park of Republic” and “Bangre-Weogo” signify “the Park of Knowledge”.
Parents and children are very happy with activities of “Faso Park” including concerts
organized for children some weekends and during Christmas, Woman International day,on African Children Day and on Muslim important prayers days.
There are also social centers that help poor people, women, young and those who are ill.
There are also some public and private offices in Nongremassom. Among the population,

some people work in Somgande and the others out of the quarter, sometimes so far fromtheir houses.

Traffic becomes more and more complicated in Ougadougou. This is thereason why the government develops big road projects. Today, the traffic situation isimproving. Because of the success of government’ actions towards physical developmentof the country, it is possible to go out of Somgande by many different roads. This
progress helps people to move quickly and win time instead of lose it.
In the streets of Somgande, eating is selling. Men grill meat and chicken and womencook and sell cakes, rice, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, fruits, vegetables, modern andlocal drinks. In general, families living in harmony and entertain. There are solidarity
initiatives like exchanging food during important days like Christmas. Muslim invite
Christians and vice-versa. Young people have a center and a space for sports built by
the city council. Most of young who do not go to school are hairdressers, parking
attendants, small business owners, mechanics, tailors and drivers.
The Nongremassom population is about 220,891 (49% - women and 35% - young). The
industrial quarter of Ouagadougou is in Kossodo, one of the administrative sectors ofNongremassom. There, you have societies that work in the field of leather, iron, andfoam rubber mattress. The Ouagadougou livestock market is situated in Thanghin,another administrative sector of Nongremassom. People live free and do the kind ofactivities they want. The essential characteristic of Nongremassom is its economicactivities. To build citizen capacities by information and communication, a privately
created independent television station named “TVZ” is in Kossodo. The Prime Minister
was present at the opening of the station. This is a way to show the governments
commitment towards all the actors of Burkina Faso development.

Ouagadougou City Council

Young boys playing football on a street in Somgande