One year after the coup d’état, I visited Burkina Faso – 01/11/2023 – Robson Jesus

I created the O Nego Vai Longe project, in which I intend to be the fastest man and also the first black person to visit all 196 countries in the world. Son of a single mother and two brothers, I was born and raised on the outskirts of Osasco, in São Paulo. Coming from a public school, I studied administration and, with a scholarship, specialized in project management at Mackenzie.

In 2018, I traveled to the United States to study English for a year, at which point I still wasn’t so clear that my passion was exploring new places. Even before the Covid pandemic began, I was researching places, prices and countries and, at one point, I found myself thinking about how many people had visited every country in the world. Surprised, I read that only 150 people have formally done this.

I talked to friends and family and made the decision to be the fastest man to visit all 196 countries in the world. I want to break the record of an American, who did it in three years. I want to do it in two. I started my trip in March 2022, scheduled to end in April 2024. My intention is for this unprecedented feat to be registered by Guinness.

Burkina Faso is my 134th country. At the beginning of October, I took a flight from Ivory Coast, which took approximately three hours. Arriving there, I was greeted by Dramane, a resident of the capital, Ouagadougou. We connected through a Brazilian woman who lives in the country. Dramane was my guide, driver and great friend, who helped me throughout my stay and gave me peace of mind: I was scared and very nervous.

Nervous because Burkina Faso is a country that is experiencing moments of conflict and coup after military coup. On September 28, four people were arrested in a new proven coup attempt. I arrived in the country on October 1st, the weekend that marked one year since Burkina Faso registered a coup d’état led by the military. Still, I went straight to the city center to try to see emblematic places that represent a lot for this country.

Being able to visit the main football stadium, historical monuments of martyrs, important places that honor dead people who fought in favor of former president Blaise Compaoré — who governed the country from 1987 to 2014, when he was deposed. I also visited the Brazilian embassy and, shortly after that, I had the best experience in the country.

Burkina Faso is a country not recommended for tourism, as it is experiencing times of war and is surrounded by terrorists, but I managed to visit a local community where I had the opportunity to talk and even drink a beer with local residents on the streets of the city of Kadiogo. Surrounded by locals laughing and living a normal life, I felt peace. I think the fact that I am black and dressed in simple, non-flashy clothes made my stay easier. Few people knew I was a tourist.

In the early evening I went to a hotel close to the airport, where I spent the night and the next day I took a flight to my 136th country, Benin. I’ll tell you what it was like to go there.

To follow my journey around the world, follow me on Instagram @onegovailonge.

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