Maurice Yaméogo
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| Maurice Nawalagmba Yaméogo | |
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| In office August 4, 1983 – August 4, 1984 |
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| Preceded by | None (position first established) |
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| Succeeded by | Sangoulé Lamizana |
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| Born | December 31, 1921 Koudougou, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) |
| Died | September 9, 1993 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |
| Political party | Mouvement Démocratie Voltaic |
| Spouse | Felecite Zagre Suzanne de Manaco Jeanette |
Maurice Yaméogo (December 31, 1921-September 9, 1993) was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso. He proclaimed the independence of the country on August 5, 1960 and also tried (but failed) to create a union between Cote d'Ivoire and Upper-Volta. On January 3, 1966, he was obliged to leave the Presidency because of a nation-wide syndicalist strike.
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[edit] Private life
[edit] Birth
Maurice Nawalagmba Yameogo was born on December 31, 1921 in an animist family of farmers at Koudougou. “Nawalagmba”, in Moore, the most spoken language in Burkina Faso means: “The one coming to unite, to gather the others”. Nawalagmba had a twin sister called Wamanegdo. It is only after his baptism, on July 28, 1929 that he was given the name “Maurice”.[1]
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary school
In Burkina Faso, like in many other African countries, going to school was not something people used to do in the early 1920s; actually, people generally were farmers or craftsmen. However, Maurice Yameogo was lucky. He went to the public primary school of his native village.
[edit] High school
After the primary school of his native village, Maurice Yameogo went to the Small Seminar of Pabre. Pabre is the institution in which most of Upper-Volta priests were trained. However, during his training, the young Maurice lost his sacerdotal vocation and left Pabre.[2]
[edit] Marriages
Maurice Yameogo wanted to be a priest but he finally left the Small Seminar of Pabre. Maurice fell in love with Felecite Zagre who later became his wife. But, on October 17, 1965, he would get married with Suzanne de Monaco, a young Ivorian woman. Felix Houphouet-Boigny (President of Ivory Coast) and Hamani Diori (President of Niger) were the witnesses at his marriage. Marie-Therese Houphouet-Boigny took care of the bride. However, this union would not last long and Maurice would get married a third time with Jeannette.[1]Maurice Yameogo had many children.
[edit] Career
[edit] Professional career
Maurice Yameogo started his professional career just after leaving Pabre. He started as a simple clerk for the French Colonial Administration. For this reason, Maurice worked in Ivory Coast where he was shocked by the fact that some Upper-Volta businessmen were illegally practicing some kind of workforce traffic to supply Ivory Coast huge plantations with workers. In Upper-Volta, Maurice also worked as a clerk for the Administrative, Accounting and Finance Services (SAFC) of the French Colonial Administration. For this purpose, he was appointed in towns like Dedougou and Koudougou. Maurice Yameogo was later appointed head of the CFTC syndicate (French Confederation of Christian Workers) of his corporation, and vice-president of CFTC Upper-Volta.)
[edit] Political career
Maurice Yameogo started his political career as the general counsellor of Koudougou before reaching, after several steps, the Presidency. This very active political career started when he was elected general counsellor of Koudougou and then territorial counsellor in 1948 with re-elections in 1952. On March 31, 1957, he was elected Grand Counsellor of AOF (French Occidental Africa) on a MDV list (Voltaic Democratic Movement), and two months later, he was appointed minister of the agricultural economy in the first council of government headed by Mr. Yvon Bourges, last French Governor in Upper-Volta (May 18, 1957) that will later be replaced by Daniel Ouezzin Coulibaly. On February 06, 1958, after a Government change, Maurice Yameogo was appointed Minister of Interior.[2]This was a sign of recognition of Daniel Ouezzin Coulibaly because Maurice helped him during difficult political periods and was now part his political party, the UDV (Voltaic Democratic Union), affiliated to RDA.[3] Actually, Maurice Yameogo was now the second in the government because at this time, the Minister of Interior was the one designed to replace the President of the council of Government if this one was away. The “National Fate” of Maurice Yameogo was being clearer from this time.
[edit] Presidency of Burkina Faso
[edit] Way to presidency
When Daniel Ouezzin Coulibaly was taken to Paris for health reasons, Maurice Yameogo was the one ensuring the interim (July 28, 1958).[4]On October 21, 1958, he was appointed President of Upper-Volta council of Government after Daniel Ouezzin Coulibaly, the former President of the council of government who died in Paris on September 7, 1958. From now, the road to the Presidency seemed all shaped for Maurice Yameogo. Then, his political career followed these steps:[2]
| Periods | Functions |
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| December 11, 1958-April 25, 1959 |
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| April 20, 1959- December 11, 1959 |
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| April 25, 1959-December 11, 1959 |
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[edit] President
On December 11, 1959, Maurice Yameogo became the first President of the new Republic of Upper-Volta and proclaimed on August 5, 1960, the independence of the country.[4]Maurice Yameogo obtained this Independence by simple transfer of powers, without negotiation or any referendum. Maurice Yameogo was a close friend of Felix Houphouet-Boigny (President) who inspired him all his life long. Yameogo favored a “Federation of Mali” that would gather Senegal, French Soudan (called Mali today), Dahomey (Benin),and Upper-Volta (Burkina Faso). However, he would finally adopt anti-federalist ideas developed by France and Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Yameogo would follow Houphouet in his ambition to create the “Conseil de l’Entente” (Agreement Council), an organization to promote peace and solidarity between west African countries. Maurice Yameogo and Houphouet Boigny also worked on a project of double nationality between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. However, when Yameogo was obliged to leave the presidency on January 3, 1966, Houphouet Boigny abandoned this project of double nationality.
[edit] Resignation
On December 27, 1965, Maurice Yameogo was in Ivory Coast to negotiate the project of double nationality. Having heard about serious decreases in salaries and budget, Voltaic syndicates drove a nationwide strike. The Upper-Volta Army then decided to seize power and Yameogo was obliged to leave the Presidency on January 3, 1966, in order to avoid a civil war.[5]The Army was in control: A military coup obliged Yameogo to abdicate, suspended the Constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, and placed Lt. Col. Sangoulé Lamizana at the head of a government essentially run by senior army officers. The army remained in power for 4 years, and on June 14, 1970, the Voltans ratified a new Constitution that established a 4-year transition period toward complete civilian rule. Lamizana remained in power throughout the 1970s as president of military or mixed civil-military governments. After a conflict arising over the 1970 Constitution, a new constitution was written and approved in 1977, and Lamizana was reelected by open elections in 1978.[6]
[edit] After the presidency
[edit] Jail
After having been obliged to abdicate, Maurice Yameogo was put in jail three days later. His son Hermann Yameogo tried to free him, but failed and was put in jail too. On May 8, 1969, Maurice Yameogo was condemned to five years of forced work and to a life time banishment. However, he was freed on August 5, 1970. Maurice Yameogo also experienced political internment with other politicians during the revolution of 1983.[6]
[edit] Exile in Ivory Coast
From 1985 until 1990, Maurice Yameogo was exiled in Ivory Coast, a country with which he always kept good relations.
[edit] Rehabilitation
On May 1991, President Blaise Compaore rehabilited Maurice Yameogo, giving him back his Burkinabe citizenship rights.[1] He would often play the role of “go-between” between the two countries. On September 9, 1993, Maurice Yameogo died in Ouagadougou. During his funerals that took place in Koudougou on September 17, 1993, Blaise Compaore and his wife Chantal Compaore were there, with other personalities. Among them were Alassane Ouattara (Prime Minister of Ivory Coast) and Laurent Dona Fologo (Secretary general of PDCI-RDA).[1]
| Heads of state of Upper Volta (1960–1984) and Burkina Faso (1984–) |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Lefaso.net (2006). Quand la Cote d’Ivoire et la Haute-Volta (devenue Bukina Faso) revaient de la “double nationalite”.Retrieved March 26, 2006 from http://www.lefaso.net/article.php3?id_article=136/
- ^ a b c LA PETITE ACADEMIE. (2004). Detail sur la personalite selectionnee. LA PETITEACADEMIE .Retrieved March 19, 2006 from http://www.petiteacademie.gov.bf/Personnalite.asp?CodePersonnalite=216
- ^ Janda, K. (1980). UPPER VOLTA: The Party System in 1950-1956 and 1957-1962.Political Parties: A Cross-National Survey Retrieved March 26, 2006 from http://janda.org/icpp/ICPP1980/Book/PART2/8-WestAfrica/87-UpperVolta/UpperVolta.htm
- ^ a b Bendre. (2005). Les acrobaties politiques en Haute Volta a la veille des indépendances. Bendre. Retrieved March 19, 2006 from http://www.bendre.africa-web.org/article.php3?id_article=985
- ^ Lefaso.net . (2006). General Sangoule Lamizana: Un non assoiffe de pouvoir Retrieved March 19, 2006 from http://www.lefaso.net.php3?id_article=7545
- ^ a b Historycentral. (2006). BURKINA FASO Retrieved March 19, 2006 from http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Burkino/history1.html
