Burkina Faso: New Family Code, a code for the people and for a deeply rooted and united Burkinabe family
The adoption of the new Code of Persons and the Family by the Transitional Legislative Assembly marks a decisive step in the legal and social restructuring of Burkina Faso. This text, praised for its unanimous support and its grounding in national realities, reflects a strong will to reconcile legal modernity with respect for African cultural values.
The integration of customary and religious marriage into Burkinabe positive law represents a major breakthrough. It finally recognizes the legitimacy of ancestral practices which, though deeply rooted in society, had long been relegated to the margins of official law. This legal recognition not only strengthens social cohesion but also highlights local traditions as the foundation of the Burkinabe family.
This new Code is part of a broader movement of renewal in which education in civic and African values occupies a central role. It is not simply a legal text but a tool for social transformation, carrying a vision: that of a united, just society faithful to its cultural reference points. In this sense, it meets the deep aspirations of the people, who demand a legal framework aligned with their convictions and identity.
In a global context marked by tensions between the universality of rights and cultural sovereignty, Burkina Faso has chosen a rooted and assumed legal model, aimed at consolidating its values. This Code is therefore the expression of a societal project, a political will to restore meaning to family, citizenship, and collective dignity.
