Ouagadougou: Around 700 Afro-descendants from various backgrounds set foot on Burkina Faso soil this Sunday, October 26, 2025, as part of a symbolic return to their ancestral land, at the initiative of the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI). The delegation was welcomed at Ouagadougou International Airport by a team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Secretary-General, Ambassador Hernman Yirigouin Toe.
According to Burkina Information Agency, this return to Burkina Faso is part of a dynamic of reconnection of identity and memory between Afro-descendant communities and the African continent. The organizers selected Burkina Faso due to the pan-Africanist leadership of President Captain Ibrahim Traore, whose vision has been an inspiration for the African diaspora.
“The President of Burkina Faso has declared that Burkina Faso is the home of all Africans. We have come to show him our support and reaffirm our commitment to working towards the realization of his vision of a united and sovereign Africa,” said ADDI President Dr. Arikana Chihombori upon her arrival.
For his part, Secretary-General Hernman Yirigouin Toe highlighted this move as a step towards reconciliation and as a testament to the confidence in Burkina Faso. “This symbolic return places Burkina Faso as a place of welcome and hope for many Africans in the diaspora, in a context of pan-Africanist renaissance driven by the enlightened vision of HE Captain Ibrahim Traore,” he stated.
The delegation’s stay, scheduled from October 26 to November 8, 2025, includes official meetings, conferences, and workshops, as well as visits to historical and cultural sites across the country. Solidarity actions in favor of internally displaced persons and economic exchanges with the Burkinabe private sector are also on the agenda.
As a reminder, Afro-descendants are the descendants of Africans who were forcibly taken during centuries of slavery, notably to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.
