Burkina Faso

September 8th, 2025

Presentation

Burkina Faso:

Current Events

Recently, Burkina Faso has passed new anti-queer legislation, and all the world is talking about it.

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1. Article Source Information

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Where is this article from, and how can it be known that the source of the article is reliable or not?

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Bias statistics

of Americans

70%

believe that there is either a great deal or a fair amount of media bias in news coverage.

One of many news sources that covered this current event was The Guardian, a British Newspaper. The source is widely considered a highly reliable source due to a number of reasons. Let's look into it!

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Article

The article was written by an unidentified Guardian journalist.

Details

The title of the article is "Prison time, fines and ostracisation: anti-gay law shocks community in African country seen as relatively safe."

The Guardian's article was published on September 6th, 2025.

The Francophone country the article covers is called Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is a country located in West Africa.

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What was the article about?

Main Idea Summary

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"Recently, Burkina Faso has passed legislation that criminalizes homosexuality withitn the country, introducing punishments for those found bisobeying the law."

General Summary

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This image shows a Burkinabe (a person from Burkina Faso) queer standing in front of an LGBTQ+ flag.

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Explanation of the Law

E.g.: Punishments for breaking the law include

• Up to 5-year prison sentences
• Deportation in the case of more than one offense for those who are not Burkinabe citizens. (Citizenship can be relatively hard to obtain here)

To put it simply, the law states that it is illegal to be homosexual. It is being enforced through the introduction of fines, prison sentences, and sanctions for people who are found disobeying the law, a statement of Judge Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, the person who administers the country's deliverance of justice.

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Purpose: The purpose of the law is claimed to be an effort to “modernize family law, and clarify national rules,” according to multiple other articles.

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Law Timeline

July 2024

Beyond 2025 - The Future

Sept 2025

Future Effects

Passing

Drafting

Homophobic laws like these, which have demonstrated their prominence in many African countries, some examples including Kenya and Uganda, will make it hard for people who are not only homosexual, but part of the LGBTQ+ community in general, to live comfortable lives in their home country. In some cases, some people's residence and/or citizenship is jeopardized.

On September 1st, 2025, the legislation was passed and put into effect

Burkina Faso adopted the draft for a law that criminalizes homosexuality.

This timeline is a demonstration of the progression of Burkina Faso's anti-queer law, which goes from as early as drafting, to as futuristic as the after affects.

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3. AP Theme Connection & Personal Opinion

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Burkina Faso

How Does Theme Connect to Article?

What are some explicit examples of this?

How does the theme connect to the event?

What is the defintion of the theme?

01 Advanced Placement Theme

03 Explanation of Connection

02 AP Theme Connection

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"Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand"

Lakhdar Brahimi

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Now, I get to join the Conversation!

- "Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought" - J.F.K.

Personally, I disagree with the passing of Burkina Faso’s new anti-LGBTQ law. In my opinion, I believe that you should have the free will to pursue whoever you want to pursue, uncontrolled by the government or its laws. This is because, realistically, if I put myself in the position of the minority and discriminated against in this situation, I would be extremely unhappy with not only my country, but uncomfortable with myself and my life. The legislation is saying much more than simply homosexuality is illegal, but from my perspective, it sends the message that homosexual people themselves are illegal and not wanted by the community in which is supposed to appreciate and take care of them--almost stateless in a way. I believe no one should ever have to experience this or feel this way.

Through my lenses, it is easy for me to see this law as discriminatory and infiltrative, as it appears to dscriminate against those of both the LGBTQ+ community and the queer community especially. The law endangers them, and violates their right to privacy by making their orientation public information which I believe only they should have the right to disclose.

The nature of the legislation heavily contrasts the nature of the opinions and ideas that many of the different communities and societies I am a part of, which include, my town and school community, as well as American society. Based on my experiences and observations, these groups are generally relatively much more positive and welcoming towards those of the queer, and overall LGBTQIA+ community. We have laws that support them, and people will put supportive lawn signs in their front yards and windows.

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Q&A

Thank you very much!

You're participation is appreciated! Now, it's discussion time! Does anyone have any questions, comment, concerns, or opinions they would like to share?

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AP Theme Connection

The way Burkina Faso's new legislation relates to the AP Culture and Language theme previous mentioned is in the shared topic of discussion: identity. The recent law also entails subtopics like the formation of communities that shape can shape the definition of an identity, a shift identity expression and identity-relative confidence, specifically relative to sexual orientation.

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1936

73%

UK

of people worried they cannot seperate true from false when it comes to online news.

The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, est. 1936.

The Guardian is based in the United Kingdom.

The Scott Trust plays an important role in the prevention of excessive political bias within its publications. The trust was originally created in 1936 to ensure the financial aid of The Guardian newspaper, as well as its editorial and commercial independence. Additionally, adfontesmedia.com, a website that specializes in rating and measuring source for reliability and bias, states that The Guardian is "reliable" it its analyses and factual reports.

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Explanation of Connection

• Identity Shaping Communities: In the article it is mentioned how Burkina Faso's newly passed homophobic legislation is made to criminilize those who not only identify as LGBTQ+, but it is made to target and criminalize the national community of those who are LGBTQ+, creating stricter nationality and citizenship rules for them and queer family dynamics. (Also relates to "Families and Communities")
• Shift in identity expression: Not only does the law criminlize this community of Burkinabes, but it also forces them to concel and disclose a part of their identity that there was previously nothing "legally wrong" with in order to avoid problematic threats.
• Identity-relative confidence & Quality of Life: Matter of factly, there already people, like the queer Burkaninabe interviewees Paul, Jules, and Agathe, who worry for their safety and wonder how they will receive access to simple things like healthcare, if it meant running the risk of becoming exposed. Others are considering leaving the country, or even staying in hiding, which only people who are lucky enough to have others that still care for them are able to do. These people will be influenced to shun and reject those who identify as queer because of this law, decreasing their confidence and quality of life within the country. (Also relates to "Contemporary Life")

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Advanced Place-ment Theme

One of the AP Culture and Language theme the article aligns with is "Personal and Public Identities." This theme relates to the way people identify themselves, and discusses the way identity can relate to situational expression, culture, language, and development.