Introduction / History

The Bissa are a large ethnic group, numbering around 600,000 speakers, centered in Burkina Faso. Their homeland is Burkina Faso's southeast region, with some settlements in northern Togo and Ghana. While details of their history are unclear, they may have entered their present location as early as the 14th century. The Bissa live by subsistence farming, raising millet, maize, rice and peanuts. They sell cotton and some vegetables for cash. Since 1980, primary education has advanced, roughly two thirds of the schools in the region have been built since then. Still, however, less than one third of the boys, and one fourth of the girls, are enrolled in school.