Post-independence
From 1971, the professional theatre of Burkina Faso emerged when the government created a Directorate of Culture to oversee the management of cultural affairs. They organised an annual cultural festival called the "semaines de la jeunesse" (or "youth week"). This festival was responsible for developing rural theatre in the country. Since 1983, the youth week has been replaced with the biennial National Culture Week of Burkina Faso which alternates with the FESPACO film festival.
The need to educate people in rural areas lead to the creation of "social theatre". In 1978, Prosper Kampaoré founded the Atelier-Théâtre Burkinabè (ATB), a theatre group made up of volunteer actors who use their performances to educate the people of Burkina Faso. The ATB was partly inspired by the forum theatre of Brazilian director Augusto Boal. In 1989, Burkina Faso hosted the Franco-Forum Theatre conference.
In the 1990s, the theatre industry benefited from the establishment of two educational institutions. In 1990, playwright Jean-Pierre Guingané founded the UNEDO (Union des ensembles dramatiques de Ouagadougou) stage school, for the training of stage actors. In 1999, Prosper Kampaoré opened a theatrical training centre for people developing theatre projects.
Read more about this topic: Theatre Of Burkina Faso