Ouagadougou: The 17th edition of the Pouni Mask Festival (FESTIMAQ) in Sanguié, Center-West region, organized by the Association of Friends of the Mask (AMA), officially opened yesterday Saturday March 30, 2024 , under the theme: 'Mask, peace and social cohesion in Burkina Faso'.Sponsor of this edition of the festival, the Minister of State, Minister of Civil Service, Labor and Social Protection, Bassolma_Bazié, went to Pouni to support the organizers of this cultural event.Speeches, artistic performances and procession of masks were the highlights of the ceremony which was also attended by the Minister of State, Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo; the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, responsible for Relations with institutions, Me Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, and local authorities.In his speech, Minister of State Bazié indicated that the theme of this edition was chosen with regard to the context in which Burkina finds itself.Listening to him, the mask is a symbol of social cohesion and peace, therefore a means of resilience helping to face the security challenges that our country is going through.Minister Bassolma Bazié took the opportunity to invite the populations to unite to defeat the terrorist hydra.For the president of the AMA, Hervé Gué, several activities grouped around 4 axes are on the menu for FESTIMAQ 2024.This involves the performance of masks (parade and dance); sports performance to enhance social cohesion and living together; the promotion and marketing of traditional products, particularly local dishes through a shopping street; and social and health actions including blood donation for the benefit of the fighting forces and the sick.Open to any mask society, even beyond our borders, the ambition, according to Mr. Gué, is to make FESTIMAQ one of the most important cultural events in Burkina Faso and outside.The Minister of State, Minister in charge of culture, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, congratulated the promoters of the Festival for pr omoting our cultural wealth.This idea of promoting masks, he said, inspired other communities.'We are seeing a flourishing of this type of festival these days where there are masks and this is a sign of the valorization of this heritage of Burkina Faso,' he said.Launched in 1990, the Pouni mask festival aims to create a dynamic of cultural and tourist development in accordance with the national policy strategy in force in our country.Source: Burkina Information Agency