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Burkina Faso has over 60 ethnic groups, each with its own social and cultural distinction, but all emphatically Burkinabé. The major groups include the Bobo who live around the city of Bobo Dioulassa, the Fulani, the Lobi, and the Sénufo, but the most significant and dominant group are the Mossi. The Mossi are descendants of a royal empire and the emperor, or Moro-Naba, possesses tremendous social cachet and influence. Some Mossi descendants are Muslims but Burkina Faso is notable for the fact that it is one of the few West African countries that is not predominantly Muslim. Almost half the population still follow traditional animist beliefs.

Each ethnic group has its own artistic style but the art of the Mossi, Bobo and Lobi are the most famous. The Mossi are known for their antelope masks; impressively tall masks, which are over 2m (7ft) high and painted in red or white. The masks are usually worn at funerals and when guarding certain fruits. The Bobo make large butterfly masks, painted in stripes of red, white and black, that are used to invoke the deity Do in fertility ceremonies. The Bobo actually have an entire zoos-worth of animal masks but the butterfly masks are the only ones worn horizontally. The Lobi have one of the best preserved traditions in Africa, including the dyoro initiation rites for young boys. Lobi art, especially the wood carvings, which protect the family, are highly valued.

Burkina Faso has led the way in the renaissance of African art and culture. The FESPACO Film Festival, occuring every two years, had a humble beginning in 1969 but has since grown to become a chic West African version of Hollywood's independent cine scene, without the pouting next-biggest-thing, air kissing executives, and frenzied bidding wars. A different cultural festival, occurring in the non-FESPACO years, covers other artistic pursuits - music, dancing and theatre. As an adjunct to this, Burkina Faso hosts the continent's largest craft market.

Gourmands who believe that solid food is only necessary because the sauce has to go on something will love the food in Burkina Faso; everything comes with sauce. It's a bit weird, really, when you consider Burkina Faso's French connections but the fact is you get sauce with everything: sauce with rice (riz sauce), vegetable sauce with rice (riz gras), a fish-based sauce (sauce de poisson), sauce with beef and eggplant (boeuf sauce aubergine) and sauce with mutton and tomatoes (mouton sauce tomatoe). In rural areas, bush rat (with or without sauce) is considered a delicacy.