Ouagadougou: Norbert Zongo University (UNZ) of Koudougou paid a vibrant tribute this Thursday to Professor Vincent Ouattara, a teacher-researcher and major figure in Burkinabe literature and culture, who has retired, during a ceremony held in the university’s 750-seat amphitheater. Placed under the chairmanship of the Vice-President in charge of research and international cooperation, Professor Isidore Yameogo, representing the President of Norbert Zongo University, the ceremony brought together several personalities from the academic world, customary and administrative authorities, colleagues, friends, and students.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Professor Vincent Ouattara was born on August 25, 1960, in Bobo-Dioulasso and is a leading figure in the fields of Letters, Sciences, and Culture in Burkina Faso. Holding a doctorate in cultural studies obtained in Saint Petersburg (Russia) in 1998 with excellent distinction, he has devoted more than three decades to research, teaching, and the promotion of African cultures. He is the author of a rich scientific and literary output of thirteen books and about twenty articles, addressing major themes such as African identity, intercultural communication, and collective memory.

At Norbert Zongo University, Professor Ouattara held high positions, including those of deputy director of the UFR/Letters and Human Sciences, chief of staff to the president, director of the Pouire journal, and director of the Doctoral School of Letters, Arts, Communication, Human and Social Sciences. A series of moving tributes marked the ceremony. Fellow students, friends, colleagues, and former students recalled his generosity, scientific rigor, and humanism. Among them, His Majesty Naaba Saaga I, Chief of Issouka, and Professor Georges Sawadogo praised “a man of conviction, a passionate teacher, and a role model for university youth.”

To crown this tribute, several gifts were presented to Professor Ouattara by his teaching colleagues, his students, and his friends as a sign of recognition for his commitment to the service of knowledge and culture. In paying this tribute, Norbert Zongo University, through its president, Eugenie Maiga, hailed a builder of thought, a trainer of elites, and a tireless defender of African culture.