A large open square in central Ouaga, dominated since 2018 by a five-metre bronze statue of Thomas Sankara — the revolutionary president murdered in a 1987 coup, and now an officially restored national hero. The square was renamed in his honour, and the statue replaces an earlier monument that had stood under the previous regime.
The square fills up for political rallies, anniversaries of the revolution, and occasional concerts. In quieter times it is simply a hot, dusty plaza with benches around the edges, but the statue is one of the most-photographed pieces of public sculpture in West Africa.