Mausoleum of Thomas Sankara,
designed by Kéré Architecture
The Thomas Sankara Mausoleum, a unique memorial designed by the Kéré Architecture studio, was officially opened in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The monument commemorates Thomas Sankara, the country's former president, along with his twelve closest associates who died with him in the October 15, 1987 coup. This architectural project is not only a form of commemoration of a historical figure - it is also a deeply considered symbolic, social and environmental structure. It is worth taking a closer look at how architecture can not only tell a story, but also set the course for the future.
Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou
© Kéré Architecture
Sankara - a memory that demands space
Thomas Sankara was a politician who transformed Upper Volta into Burkina Faso - a country of righteous people. In just four years of his presidency, he managed to initiate profound social, economic and environmental reforms. He advocated state sovereignty, the emancipation of women, the fight against illiteracy and environmental protection. Although his life was brutally cut short, his legacy continues to resonate among succeeding generations. The mausoleum that rises today at the site of his death is a material response to the need for a lasting presence of his ideas in the public space.
Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou
© Kéré Architecture
an architectural ritual of light and shadow
At the heart of the mausoleum is a composition of thirteen tombs arranged concentrically around the building's central point - one for Sankara and twelve for his companions. Each of them is located under an individual skylight. At each hour of the day, natural sunlight illuminates another grave, ushering visitors into a symbolic rite of passage, reflection and recollection. This ever-changing illumination gives the space a dynamism and order that is subordinated not to the clock, but to the rhythm of nature.
Interior overlooking the skylights above the tombs
© Kéré Architecture
The symbolic meaning of light is reinforced by the thirteen tapering columns that surround the graves. They do not form a classic enclosed space - on the contrary, each one opens up with a void. It's a deliberate gesture that reminds us of the absence of the fallen and the void they left in the life of the community. Here, the architecture works through absence - through a cut in the matter that sensitizes the visitor to the loss and, at the same time, to the presence of memory.
Thomas Sankara Mausoleum in Ouagadougou - visualization
© Kéré Architecture
Building from the earth, idea from the people
The construction of the mausoleum is based on the use of local materials: laterite and clay bricks, hand-formed from clay sourced in nearby regions. This choice is not solely due to the availability of raw material - it is a conscious reference to Sankara's own philosophy, which promoted economic independence, the use of local resources and techniques. Earth-building, as part of Burkina Faso's architectural identity, is reinstated here as modern and forward-looking.
Local communities were involved in the construction process. It was not just a gesture of participation, but full participation in the creation of a new memorial. As a result, the mausoleum does not function as a closed monument, but as a living shared space, socially and culturally rooted.
Construction work on the creation of the Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou
© Kéré Architecture
atmospheric architectural response
The dominant feature of the building is a huge dome with a diameter of 34 meters, which covers the memorial space while providing thermal comfort. Oriented with respect to the prevailing east-west winds, and equipped with opening louvers and a massive earth structure, it allows passive ventilation of the building. No mechanical systems are used here - this is architecture that cooperates with the climate instead of fighting it. As a result, the interior space remains cool and airy, while retaining its monumental scale and solemn character. This is one example of a modern approach to design in the sub-Saharan African context - environmentally responsible, technologically advanced, but deeply rooted in local tradition.
Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou
© Kéré Architecture
layered space
- from mausoleum to memorial park
The mausoleum is just the first phase of a much broader initiative: The Thomas Sankara Memorial Park, also designed by Kéré Architecture. The 14-hectare site will include a complex that will include not only memorial spaces, but also public functions - an amphitheater, an educational center, restaurants, stores and conference facilities. The centerpiece of the park will be a 100-meter-high tower, whose viewing platform will be placed at a height of 87 meters - a clear reference to the year of Sankara's death. The whole project is part of a broader urban plan for the Green Belt of Ouagadougou - a concept for developing green spaces in Burkina Faso's stuffy and rapidly urbanizing capital. Thus, memorial architecture is also becoming a tool for sustainable urban development.
Aerial view of the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum (visualization).
© Kéré Architecture
transformation of the meaning of place
Particularly moving is the fact that the new mausoleum was built on the exact spot where the assassination of Thomas Sankara took place. A space that for decades inspired fear and was a symbol of national trauma has been transformed into a place of encounter, education and community. This is a process of profound symbolic transformation - from a space of exclusion to an open space. From trauma to memory. From silence to dialogue. Francis Kéré, the project's creator, stressed in interviews that for many of the country's residents this place was taboo. Today, thanks to the architecture, it is regaining its dignity and potential. The mausoleum not only puts the memory in order, but also gives it a new form - a dynamic, community-oriented one.
The grand opening of the Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou
© Kéré Architecture
architecture that speaks with the voice of the people
The mausoleum of Thomas Sankara is not a closed object - it is a space for communication. Its language is symbol, light, material and rhythm. Its addressee - a society that needs places that allow not only to remember, but also to build the future. The Kéré Architecture project shows that architecture can act as a social medium, combining an aesthetic function with an ethical and civic one. One can't help but notice that Sankara - the figure who himself gave the country its name and redefined its identity - has been given a monument that not only commemorates him, but speaks the language of his own ideas: locality, community, sovereignty and ecology.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of Kéré Architecture.
