Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou announces itself along the roads from all directions as a city of towers and haze, the skyline a silhouette of concrete minarets and the distinctive stepped shapes of the Moro Naba's palace compound rising above the tree line.

The capital sits on a flat laterite plateau in the centre of the country, split by the Mouhoun River which is little more than a sandy bed in the dry season but floods dramatically between July and October, turning nearby lowlands into a vast green floodplain.

The National Museum of Burkina Faso houses a collection spanning the archaeology of the Mossi kingdoms and the broader cultures of the Sahel — metalwork, textiles, carved wooden masks and musical instruments — with explanatory panels in French and English.

Every neighbourhood has its mosque or its shrine, but the great market in the city centre is the most characteristic Ouagadougou experience: a vast open-air trading space that seems to expand daily, packed with stalls selling Iman cloth, second-hand electronics from Europe, leather goods and fresh produce from the surrounding farmlands.

The city has long served as a cultural and intellectual capital for Francophone West Africa; the University of Ouagadougou draws students from across the region, and the biennial FESPACO film festival — Africa's largest — transforms the city for one week every two years.

The cooking here is built around millet and sorghum, with tomato-based sauces and plenty of fried yams, and the city's restaurants serve Mossi dishes alongside Lebanese and French-influenced menus that reflect the openness of a commercial crossroads.

Seasonal contrast defines the city: the dry season from November to May brings cool dusty Harmattan winds from the Sahara and bright mornings, while the wet season paints the surrounding countryside green and fills the city's streets with the sound of rain on tin roofs.

The city has an active contemporary arts scene centred on the Maison du Peuple and a cluster of galleries in the Ouaga 2000 district, where Burkinabè painters and sculptors work in styles that range from traditional mask-carving to politically engaged contemporary installation art.

The city is also known for its vibrant nightlife centred on the Rue 15 and Rue 16 neighbourhoods in the modern quarter, where bars and restaurants stay open late and live music is a regular feature on weekends.

Ouagadougou is divided into distinct quarters: the old city around the Moro Naba compound, the administrative quarter built by the French, and the expanding Ouaga 2000 neighbourhood to the east, which is home to newer hotels, embassies and the university campus.

It is the political, economic and cultural capital of Burkina Faso, a country with a disproportionately large cultural footprint in West Africa relative to its size.

The great market is one of the most energetic trading environments in the Sahel, and a place to witness the commercial energy that drives the national economy.

FESPACO, held every two years, is the largest film festival on the African continent and gives the city an internationally significant cultural moment.