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Ball State Students and members of the Muncie community were able to learn a little about a country in West Africa Wednesday afternoon.

Mamadou Djiguimde is a Ball State senior who is from the country of Burkina Faso, formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta. Djiguimde is studying English literature at Ball State and will graduate in the spring.

Djiguimde's cultural exchange presentation is part of a program that is sponsored by the Rinker Center for International Programs. Each week the center hosts a different student from a different country. The student gives a presentation about his or her home and answers any questions students have.

Political Problems

Political instability was main subject for the discussion of Burkina. The country, which is located in West Africa by Ghana and the Ivory Coast, has been plagued by takeovers and a series of rulers. Many of the rulers have been assassinated by people in their own government.

"The country has written four constitutions in just 20 years," Djiguimde said.

Education

The guest speaker also described the educational system in Burkina. He said that the university in the capital city of Ouagadougou is over crowded.

"Your class may have over 700 students, and if you don't get there early, you won't get a seat," Djiguimde said. "You would have to take notes standing up."

Most people do not graduate from the university, Djiguimde said. The government does not support education because when students do graduate, there are no jobs available, and the government does not want to be held responsible.

Hope

Although Djiguimde described many of the problems that the country of Burkina faces, he wanted people to know that the country has tremendous culture to offer. He said that there are many good things about the country, especially outside of the cities.

Djiguimde explained that the flag was made to symbolize the country. The red is for blood shed, the green is for nature and the yellow star is for hope. All of those things people regard highly in Burkina.