Lawrence Rupley is a professor of economics and a former editor and
administrator. He worked in Burkina Faso in the latter 1980s and
still follows events there closely, being one of the major American
specialists on that country. He was also the author of the second
edition of the Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso.
Lamissa Bangali is a consultant and researcher in socio-cultural
anthropology in Burkina Faso. He received his Ph.D. from the
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and has taught at the
National School for Administration and Courts in Burkina Faso. He
has also worked for the World Health Organization and has done
consultancy for the European Commission and the African Development
Bank.
Boureima Diamitani, also a Burkinabe, is the former Director of
Cultural Heritage and Museums of Burkina Faso and has been
Executive Director of the West African Museums Programme since
2001. He received his Ph.D. in art history from the University of
Iowa, has been a fellow of the National Museum of African Art, the
Smithsonian Institution, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York City. He has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank.
This third edition sees the addition of two editors from Burkina
Faso--Bangali (anthropology consultant/researcher) and Diamitani
(West African Museums Program). As a result, the book benefits from
more extensive use of material from archives, government agencies,
and other sources of local information. This edition contains an
updated and expanded chronology, introduction, bibliography, and
appendix. The latter lists cities and towns, populations, ethnic
groups, and the ministers of government administrations since 1978.
The number of entries has expanded significantly, and some
previously published entries have been edited as well. By and
large, the 1,000-plus entries are well written and informative. As
with other works from this series, this dictionary is useful
because information on former French West African colonies can be
difficult to find in English. From this standpoint, the dictionary
and its counterparts on former French colonies are important
sources for undergraduate libraries with basic Africana
collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level
undergraduates; general readers
*CHOICE*
This, the 3d edition, updates the Historical Dictionary of Burkina
Faso last published in 1997 (see ARBA 99, entry 96). The more than
1,000 entries, on people (such as political and military leaders,
clerics, and teachers), places, events, organizations, and more
comprise the bulk of the book. They provide information on
politics, religion, economics, history, literature, cinema, and
finance in Burkina Faso. The dictionary entries are preceded by a
list of acronyms and abbreviations, a chronology from 700
B.C.E.-2012 C.E. and a short introduction to Burkina Faso. The book
ends with a bibliography that includes works on history, politics,
the economy, culture, society, and science. It also includes
reference works and online sources. This book is a good resource
for those wanting to know about Burkina Faso, including students
and researchers.
*American Reference Books Annual*
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