Kéré Architecture–Designed Thomas Sankara Mausoleum Opens in Burkina Faso
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In Burkina Faso, a “site of fear” has been transformed into one of remembrance and hope with the opening of a mausoleum commemorating Thomas Sankara, a revolutionary former president of the landlocked West African country. Located in the capital of Ouagadougou, the laterite and clay brick structure, designed by 2022 Pritzker Prize winner and Burkina Faso native Francis Kéré, caps the first stage of the Thomas Sankara Memorial Park. It also serves as the final resting place of Sankara and 12 officials, all of whom were assassinated in a coup on October 15, 1987.
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Photo © Kéré Architecture
A winding pavilion from Boulevard Thomas Sankara guides visitors to the mausoleum. Two large gates at the entrance provide passive ventilation to the space, while a 114-foot dome seals the building and protects it from the intense heat of West Africa. Inside, 13 tombs are arranged concentrically from the center, with a different one illuminated each hour by individual skylights as the sun transits overhead. Meanwhile, 13 columns create spaces that represent the lives taken in the coup.
“This is the first time I have been asked to take on the responsibility of constructing a building in memory of a great figure,” Kéré said. “The mausoleum will be a space that belongs to the people, presenting an important historic site as a symbol of progress, change, and hope for all.”
Photos © Kéré Architecture
A former French colony, the country now called Burkina Faso (“Land of Honorable People”) declared independence in 1958 as the Republic of Upper Volta. After a series of leaders, Sankara, a 33-year-old military officer, took control in a coup in August 1983. As president, the Marxist revolutionary launched a series of social, ecological, and environmental reforms and, in 1984, changed the country’s name.
The new mausoleum is located where Sankara was killed. The violent history of the site made people fearful of it, Kéré said. But, the Berlin-based architect adds, the new building has transformed the area into a place of respect, encounter, and recreation. It’s also the centerpiece of a larger development plan for the 35-acre Memorial Park, also designed by Kéré Architecture, which will eventually include an amphitheater, retail, office space, and an educational center. A 328-foot tower further commemorating the assassinated leader and his compatriots is also planned.
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Photo © Kéré Architecture
“Thomas Sankara played a crucial role in shaping Burkina Faso, and his pan-Africanist ideas resonate more deeply today than ever before,” Kéré said. “Meeting him was a pivotal moment in my early life, and I think many people in Burkina Faso feel a strong connection to Sankara and his work.”
