“Premier 11 Décembre sans Blaise Compaoré”: Burkina Faso’s National-Day Celebration of 2014 between Stability and Change

This paper focuses on the independence-day celebration in 2014 in Burkina Faso, held six weeks after the overthrow of President Blaise Compaoré. On the one hand, the celebration demonstrated the functioning of the state and symbolized a return to everyday life; on the other hand, it made visible a new page in Burkina Faso’s history. Through the interplay of the state-directed performance and the playing along of the spectators, independence was reinterpreted as liberation from the Compaoré government. The interim government used the occasion to codify its interpretation of the political upheaval, which was presented as a moment that revealed the nation’s unity and strength, as well as its longing for liberty and democracy.