- Carpenter bomb stuns Guardians as Tigers level series
- Harris, Trump and Biden mark Oct. 7 attacks as US election looms
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street falls
- US judge orders Google to open Android to rival app stores
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights 'sacred' multi-front war
- Nobel scientist uncovered tiny genetic switches with big potential
- Grammy-winning Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney, dies at 91
- UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action
- Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban
- 'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights multi-front war
- Mexican mayor murdered days after taking office
- Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
- Mission to probe smashed asteroid launches despite hurricane
- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
RBGPF | -1.97% | 58.94 | $ | |
JRI | -0.76% | 13.18 | $ | |
BCC | 1.68% | 141.27 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.45% | 6.88 | $ | |
NGG | -1.56% | 65.48 | $ | |
SCS | -0.15% | 12.95 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
RELX | -0.54% | 46.04 | $ | |
RIO | -0.11% | 69.62 | $ | |
GSK | -0.49% | 38.63 | $ | |
BCE | -0.54% | 33.53 | $ | |
BTI | -0.26% | 35.2 | $ | |
AZN | -0.78% | 76.87 | $ | |
VOD | 0.31% | 9.69 | $ | |
BP | 0.78% | 33.14 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.09% | 24.79 | $ |
'Great sadness' for artists after French venue ransacked in Burkina coup
The day after Burkina Faso's latest coup, protesters attacked the French Institute, wrecking not just a symbol of the country's former colonial power but also a valued showcase for artists and free expression.
Demonstrators left charred walls, smashed windows and books strewn across the floor of the cultural centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina's capital.
Standing in front of a pile of paintings, artist Ali Ouedraogo said it was "a great sadness" to see the Institute in such a state.
"We've been coming to this place for years -- it's become a second home for us," he said. It is "a loss for Burkinabe, especially artists."
"This is the work of real monsters," said William Somda, who organises cultural events.
"Nothing today justify the destruction of a venue that is so important to the cultural, academic, professional and artistic world."
The Institute was just one of the French buildings targeted during the turmoil, which began on the evening of September 30.
Demonstrators also attacked the French embassy in the capital the Institute in Burkina's second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso.
They accused Paris -- which has a military presence in the West African country -- of protecting former junta leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who seized power in January before being ousted by junior officers led a 34-year-old captain, Ibrahim Traore.
In a statement read out on national television, the officers said Damiba was suspected to have taken refuge at a French military base "to plan a counteroffensive to stir up trouble in our defence and security forces."
Damiba denied he was at the base but provided no further details about his whereabouts at the time. It later emerged he had fled to neighbouring Togo after a prolonged standoff.
France bluntly denied that it had been harbouring him.
Anti-French sentiment was palpable on the streets at the height of the turbulence.
Demonstratorschanted: "France out." Some waved Russian flags.
The road leading to the Institute is still littered with broken glass, smashed computers and burnt air conditioning units.
In the entrance hall, there are burnt gates and baggage scanners.
Police have cordoned off the building, AFP saw on Wednesday.
"The damage is enormous," said the centre's manager, Thierry Bambara. "We'll have to wait for a complete assessment before we can put a figure on it."
"All the buildings were ransacked," from the centre's language unit to its performance areas, he said.
In the Institute's library, the floor is a clutter of keyboards, CDs, toppled shelves and books covered in soot.
Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries, ranked 182nd out of 189 nations under the UN's Human Development Index. High-quality concert venues and libraries are rare.
"The ransacking... is a tough blow for us," said Burkinabe musician Kantala. "Our plans are taking a hit -- we're not sure we can find a replacement for what this place offered us."
P.Martin--AMWN