In the heart of Ouagadougou, a new architectural landmark has risen — a mausoleum honoring Burkina Faso’s former president and iconic pan-Africanist Thomas Sankara.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Diébédo Francis Kéré and his Berlin-based studio Kéré Architecture, the newly inaugurated Mausoleum Thomas Sankara is a solemn yet vibrant tribute to the revolutionary leader and twelve of his closest companions, all assassinated during the 1987 coup.
© KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
Guided by the path of the sun, Kéré’s design arranges the thirteen tombs concentrically beneath individual skylights. As the day progresses, sunlight illuminates each tomb in turn, creating a poetic choreography of remembrance. The architecture makes absence palpable: thirteen structural columns form thirteen open voids, a spatial metaphor for lives lost too soon.
© KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
From the city’s main boulevard, a winding, colorful pavilion leads visitors to the mausoleum, where a 34-meter dome — built from local laterite and clay — provides both shade and thermal stability. Drawing on passive design strategies and traditional materials, the structure remains cool in the Sahelian heat, continuing Sankara’s commitment to sustainability and self-sufficiency.
© KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
“This is the first time I have been asked to take on the responsibility of constructing a building in memory of a great figure,” said Francis Kéré. “Given that Sankara was killed there, the site remained a place of fear for a long time. It has now been transformed into a space of encounter and recreation, that fosters remembrance, respect, and hope. Thomas Sankara played a crucial role in shaping Burkina Faso—even giving our country its name—and his pan-Africanist ideas resonate more deeply today than ever before. Meeting him was a pivotal moment in my early life, and I think many people in Burkina Faso feel a strong connection to Thomas Sankara and his work. The mausoleum will be a space that belongs to the people, presenting an important historic site as a symbol of progress, change, and hope for all.”
© KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
The project is only the beginning. The mausoleum forms the ceremonial heart of the forthcoming Thomas Sankara Memorial Park, a 14-hectare development that will include an amphitheater, cultural venues, and a 100-meter tower erected on the exact site of the assassination. Its terrace at 87 meters will stand as a poignant reference to the year of Sankara’s death — and an invitation to future generations to carry his legacy forward.
As part of the Ouagadougou Green Belt initiative, the memorial integrates seamlessly into a broader vision for public space and urban ecology, reinforcing Sankara’s progressive ideals.
© KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
*
Cover photo: KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE
11
-
ARQ ARRIAGA
commentSe inauguró el mausoleo de Thomas Sankara en Burkina Faso, diseñado por Francis Kéré. Como estudiante de Arquitectura 3D en UNIAT, me inspira ver cómo un proyecto puede ir más allá de lo estético y convertirse en un espacio de memoria y educación. Es un gran ejemplo de cómo el diseño puede tener un impacto cultural y social profundo.