International Art & Craft Fair

Held biennially in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, the International Art and Craft Fair, Ouagadougou--better known by its French name as SIAO (Le Salon International de L Artisanat de Ouagadougou) is one of Africa's most important trade shows for art and handicrafts.

The potential of the arts and crafts industry is huge. Hence from the 2 to 9 November 1984 the government of Burkina organized a trade show for arts and crafts products named the 'Handicraft 84'. This show permitted the government to measure how huge Burkina Faso handicraft potentialities are and allowed the government to see how important the African handicrafts were to public. As a result, the government of Burkina Faso thought it would be wise to hold this show periodically: every two years. This show would allow people from diverse backgrounds to meet, negotiate, discuss, deal and sell their products

The Ouagadougou International Art and Craft fair is a framework promoting African handicrafts. It was initiated by the National Board of Foreign Trade (ONAC) and the Chamber of Commerce of Burkina Faso. The government of Burkina Faso came up with the idea to create the SIAO for two purposes: economical and social advancement. The government of Burkina hoped that the handicrafts would reduce the deficit of the trade balance of the country. Hence, they decided to create a framework for the promotion and the exchange of African handicrafts that would be a mean to facilitate their access to the international market. Moreover, the government wanted to create a medium that would facilitate reflection and consultation on problems related to the development of handicraft in African countries. Finally, the government of Burkina Faso wanted to train and supervise the craftsmen for self-promotion. On the social, intention side, the SIAO mentioned that the International Art and Craft Fair Ouagadougou, is a way to make easy the dissemination and expansion of African handicraft as a mean for expression and culture.

The 1st international meeting of African handicraft took place from 20 to 27 February 1988 in Ouagadougou. This first meeting had two major aspects : the fair itself and a colloquy which is an international forum promoting African handicraft.

The advertising campaign, made on national and African levels, brought together 244 Burkinabé craftsmen and 20 exhibiting countries such as Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Guadeloupe, France, Pakistan, Philippines.

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