“The uniqueness of Burkina goes back to before independence. And General de Gaulle, the president of France, once said that Burkina Faso, then Upper Volta, is a very rich country and its wealth comes from its people. With its 66 different ethnic groups you have Christians, you have Muslims, and all together we celebrate everything as a family. We also have what is called ‘cousinage à plaisanterie,’ joking cousins. And it’s very interesting if you want to [defuse] a crisis situation, you just crack a joke and you laugh, and everybody moves on. And that’s what makes Burkina very unique in the region.”