Ouagadougou

Capital of Burkina Faso. Harry expected a chaotic African metropolis and found the main avenue surprisingly quiet and orderly, with hotels behind serious security and military checkpoints ringing the city. Landmarks include the revolution monument honouring those killed under Blaise Compaoré’s rule (closed for construction during his visit) and the grand market.

What Harry did

Stayed at a heavily guarded $150-a-night hotel, survived a ten-vendor bidding war in the market for a football shirt printed with Ibrahim Traoré’s face, was stopped by police who searched his footage and banned him from filming in public, talked Traoré and daily life with his driver Joseph, drank a Sankara-brand energy drink, met a family on the outskirts displaced by the northern insurgency (and gave them 200,000 CFA francs), and finished his trip in a local bar drinking the country’s most popular beer with Kieran.

Practical facts

• Filming in public is effectively banned — police check cameras and phones; hotel staff warn against filming, especially of police. Harry avoided trouble thanks to a French-speaking local intervening.
• Hotel: $150 a night at the upper end; airport taxi 7,000 (from video – unverified).
• Traffic offences can mean a fine (about 15,000 (from video – unverified)) plus community service — locals take red lights seriously.
• The city is considered safe to move around (“any place inside Ouaga, no problem” per locals); the danger is the north and countryside.
• Beer is among the cheapest anywhere — about 95p.
• Market vendors compete hard for a sale; bargaining is loud but good-natured underneath.

Harry’s tips

• Keep the camera away in public — a market stop-and-search is a matter of when, not if.
• Take a local French speaker with you; Harry credits his to getting off lightly with the police.
• Accept a market “helper” when hunting for something specific — you won’t find it alone.

Source

• I Ignored Western Media and Went to Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMsgWZAB460