Stade du 28 Septembre

National stadium with a dark recent history

The Stade du 28 Septembre, Guinea's national stadium, is named after the date in 1958 when Guineans voted by 95% against joining the French Community — the only French African colony to choose immediate full independence. The original stadium dates from the 1960s and was expanded in the 2010s for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

For most of its life it has hosted football and political rallies; the rally that brought it to international notoriety took place on 28 September 2009 and ended in a massacre that defined Guinea's recent history. The stadium is open for matches but is otherwise a working sports facility. Walk the exterior to read the small commemorative plaques that survivors and human-rights groups have intermittently affixed.

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A story
On 28 September 2009 — coincidentally the stadium's namesake date, the anniversary of the 1958 independence referendum — soldiers loyal to the junta of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara opened fire on a peaceful pro-democracy rally inside. More than 150 protesters were killed, dozens of women raped, and the stadium became a turning point in Guinea's transition. Years later, the trial of the perpetrators finally began in 2022.