Norbert Zongo

The memorial plaque created in 2012

Norbert Zongo (* July 1949 in Koudougou , Upper Volta ; † December 13, 1998 in Sapouy , Burkina Faso) was a journalist and writer from the West African state of Burkina Faso.

After attending journalism schools in Togo and Cameroon , he first worked for the government newspaper Sidwaya and private newspapers. In 1993 he founded the weekly newspaper L'Indépendant , of which he was editor until his death. He was also President of the Société des éditeurs de la presse privée du Burkina (SEP) , the association of private newspaper publishers. During his research into the death of David Ouédraogo, Zongo and three companions were found shot dead in his burned-out car. David Ouédraogo had been the chauffeur of François Compaoré, a brother of President Blaise Compaoré .

An independent commission of inquiry concluded that Zongo had been murdered as a result of this investigation. The charges against François Compaoré for involvement in the Ouédraogo case were later overturned. Marcel Kafando, Edmond Koama and Ousséni Yaro, three members of the Presidential Guard, were convicted of this murder.

In the case of Norbert Zongo, on July 19, 2006, the lawsuit against the only accused, Marcel Kafando, was overturned because the witness Racine Yaméogo had withdrawn his statements. The decision was upheld on August 16, 2006 by an appeals court. Non-governmental organizations such as Reporters Without Borders accuse the judiciary of dragging the case to protect the president's brother.

The Ivorian reggae musician Alpha Blondy dedicated a song to Zongo: Journalistes en danger . Likewise the Burkinabe-Ivorian rap duo FASO KOMBAT: Unis pour Norbert Zongo .

The memorial plaque on the N6 near Sapouy

In 2012 , a memorial plaque was erected at the site of his murder, on the N6 ( Ouagadougou - Léo ) road in Sapouy .

Works

Le Parachutage , L'Harmattan, Paris, 1988
Rougebêinga , 1990, ISBN 9781125244531

Web links

Article by Le Monde diplomatique ( Memento of June 15, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
Website of the Center national de presse Norbert-Zongo (CNP-NZ) (French)
Collection of articles on the case of Norbert Zongo (French) ( Memento from August 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive )

Footnotes and Sources

↑ See Nkunzimana, Obed (2003). “Book review: Wise, Christopher, ed. 2001. The desert shore: Literatures of the Sahel. Colorado: Lynne Rienner. 271pp. ", Africa Today 50 (1): 145-150.

personal data
SURNAME	Zongo, Norbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Burkinabe journalist
DATE OF BIRTH	July 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH	Koudougou , Upper Volta
DATE OF DEATH	December 13, 1998
Place of death	Sapouy , Burkina Faso

[1] See Nkunzimana, Obed (2003). “Book review: Wise, Christopher, ed. 2001. The desert shore: Literatures of the Sahel. Colorado: Lynne Rienner. 271pp. ", Africa Today 50 (1): 145-150.