Yorùbá traders have been part of the markets of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso since the colonial era, one link in the chain of Yorùbá merchant communities across French-speaking West Africa.
History
Yorùbá merchants followed the trade routes north and west from Nigeria and Benin during the colonial period, settling in the towns of what was then Upper Volta. Like their kin in Côte d’Ivoire, they were often known locally as Anago, and they made their living in cloth, household goods and provisions.
Community Life
The community is largely Muslim and keeps its ties to home through family, hometown associations and trade. Its members are part of the wider Yorùbá network that links the markets of the Sahel to the coast.