Ramadan fair caters for fasting Muslims

(12 Jun 2016) LEAD IN:
Burkina Faso in western Africa has a Muslim population of over 60 percent.
In an attempt to bring down prices on essential Ramadan items, the Center of Studies, Researches and Islamic Formation (CERFI) put together the inaugural Foi'ramadan fair.

STORY-LINE:
Since the beginning of June, the first edition of Foi'ramadan has been taking place in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
This fair has been organised by the Center of Studies, Researches and Islamic Formation (CERFI) of Burkina Faso, for Ramadan 2016 which began last week.
The aim of the two-week fair is to propose price cuts on essential products. Each year, during Ramadan, sugar or rice prices rise because of over-buying.
"We said to ourselves that Foi'ramadan would be the occasion to bring high consumption product prices to a reasonable level, instead of fighting against inflation. We use this fair as a means to raise awareness to all the players, so that the prices proposed to the population enable everybody to celebrate Ramadan much more easily," says Oumarou Dabre, head of communication at CERFI.
In the hall hosting the Foi'ramadan fair, dozens of enterprises have come to take part. Each stand displays at least 10 percent off on each product, which range from food and household items to literature on the world of Islam.
Among the food items there are, as one would expect, plenty of dates, but there's also oil, tea, milk powder, juices and rice.
Also available is a specially designed "Ramadan" pack at 3,300 West Africa Francs (5.6 US Dollars).
Other stands propose a large range of books on Islam.
From "La sexualite du couple" to children's books, Foi'ramadan offers visitors documentation on all aspects of Muslim religion.
Everyday, workshops and conferences are regularly organised inside the fair. In this one, an imam gives advice on Islamic practices.
"Ramadan is like a pilgrimage. When you go to it, there isn't only the folkloric aspect. One has to see how to make a profit out of it, how to gain spiritual advantages. One has to have an objective," Imam Abdoulaye Guitti advises.
Another set of conferences is dedicated to occurrences on ground level. Particularly the use of violence.
"What does Islam say regarding this acts? What can be said to people to promote peace? What can be done to accompany the public powers and the Burkinabe to achieve a peaceful social climate," asks Dabre.
At the end of each day, the faithful come back here to the main hall to break the fast collectively.
Several hundred food kits are freely distributed every night, underlining the ethic of collective responsibility.


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