BURKINA FASO ARTISTS TRAIN WITH AK-47S AT POLICE ACADEMY
Burkina Faso’s cultural figures have traded their microphones and paintbrushes for Kalashnikov rifles. Artists and cultural professionals took part in a weapons training program at the National Police Academy’s shooting range.
The training included theoretical lessons and live-fire exercises with automatic pistols and AK-47s.
The move is part of President Ibrahim Traoré’s campaign to mobilise all sectors of society for the war against terrorism.
The country has been fighting a jihadist insurgency since 2015. The army is stretched thin. The government is recruiting civilians.
Artists, like everyone else, must now be ready to fight.
What happens to a nation when its artists are trained as soldiers. And what happens to the culture when the culture bearers are sent to war.