Ouagadougou: In Douroula, in the Mouhoun province, blacksmithing continues to play a vital role in the socio-economic life of the communities. Heir to ancestral know-how, blacksmith Kassoum Go emphasizes the importance of this activity in local development, agricultural production, social cohesion, and the current security context.
According to Burkina Information Agency, coming from the Go family, recognized as the first line of blacksmiths established in Douroula, Kassoum Go is today one of the main references of the profession in the commune. Born in Douroula, he was introduced to the trade by Modou Go, his father's older brother in Tchriba. Although he did not attend school, he says he found in blacksmithing an activity that allowed him to provide for his family thanks to the know-how passed down by his ancestors.
He said that the Go, Dao, and Konat families constitute the main lineages of blacksmiths established in the commune. For Kassoum Go, blacksmiths have always occupied a central place in the organization of African societies. He points out that since the ancient kingdoms, each community relied on its blacksmith artisans to support its development. "A village cannot truly prosper without a blacksmith; if one is not available, there is always a blacksmith in a neighboring locality," he argues.
The craftsman emphasizes that the tools made in the forge workshops, including hoes, axes, sickles, plows, and other agricultural equipment, accompany producers from the clearing of land to the harvests. According to him, this contribution helps to improve agricultural production and strengthen food security. In the context of the fight against terrorism, Kassoum Go indicates that self-defense tools have been made to enable forces engaged in the theater of operations to better secure the locality.
Discussing manufacturing techniques, he explains that artisans now use iron purchased on the market, unlike previous generations who extracted the ore themselves from the rocks, a method now abandoned due to its arduousness and slowness. The commune of Douroula is home to a blast furnace for iron extraction, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which testifies to the long history of metallurgical tradition in this part of Burkina Faso.
Faced with the challenges of modernizing the sector, the blacksmith is advocating for increased support from public authorities through the provision of modern equipment. He believes that such a measure would improve the quality of production, increase its competitiveness in larger markets, and facilitate access for artisans to public markets. Beyond its economic dimension, Kassoum Go considers the forge as a factor of social cohesion based on the values of solidarity, mutual aid, and living together.
He finally invited the people of Burkina Faso, both those who govern and those who are governed, to cultivate peace, unity, and solidarity in order to contribute to the sustainable development of Burkina Faso.