In Burkina Faso, dances and traditional music staged in accordance with artistic and/or "cultural heritage" principles constitute resources used by the State in order to exhibit a desired "national identity". Through an examination of the resulting discourses and types of staging, this article analyses the different cultural policies that have been implemented in the country since the 1980s. It shows that the ideal for the creation of a national identity in Burkina Faso oscillates constantly between a negation and a recognition of cultural diversity. This paradox is exploited by different cultural actors who, while situating themselves within one of the ideologies promoted by the State, contest the privilege which it exerts over the definition of identities.
