Two key elements for the culture of Burkina Faso (a country once known as Upper Volta) are its indigenous masks and dancing. The masks used in this region of the western Sahel are made for rites of sacrifice to gods and animal spirits in the villages. Native dance, on the other hand, is employed to demonstrate the villagers’ desire for blessings by the spirits.
Southwest of Bobo Dioulasso is the town of Banfora, from where the impressive Karfiguéla Waterfalls can be seen, located 12km (3 miles) northwest of the town. Approximately 50km (31 miles) west of Banfora is the town of Sindou, the area where the extraordinary Sindou Rock Formations can be seen.
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) is a landlocked Sahel country that shares borders with six nations. It lies between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea, south of the loop of the Niger River, mostly between latitudes 9° and 15°N (a small area is north of 15°), and longitudes 6°W and 3°E. The land is green in the south, with forests and fruit trees, and desert in the north.