The Republic of Upper Volta was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984, by then President Thomas Sankara. The words Burkina and Faso come from two different languages: Mossi and Dyula respectively. Mossi is the race and language of the people who make up almost half of the country's population; Dyula (also spelt Dioula) is one of the Mande languages, which are widely spoken throughout West Africa.
Burkina (Mossi) means 'honest' or 'honest men'; Faso (Dyula) means 'fatherland' (literally 'father's house'). So Burkina Faso means 'fatherland of honest men'.
© Haydn Thompson 2017