How do we give life to the dead? For millennia, architecture has been used to commemorate those who have come before us, from the ancient pyramids of Egypt to the kofun or burial mounds of Japan. While these often elaborate structures have historically been reserved for those of a certain status, they have the potential to become important spaces that bring the public together in service of collective memory. This was exactly the intent behind a new mausoleum in Ouagadougou for Burkina Faso’s former president, Thomas Sankara, as well as 12 aides, who were assassinated during a coup on October 15, 1987. A revered leader and a pan-Africanist revolutionary, Sankara was a champion of women’s rights, environmental protection and economic independence. Legendary Burkinabe architect Francis Kéré was commissioned to design his final resting place, as well as a larger memorial park which will eventually surround it.

“This is the first time I have been asked to take on the responsibility of constructing a building in memory of a great figure,” says Kéré. “Given that Sankara was killed there, the site remained a place of fear for a long time. It has now been transformed into a space of encounter and recreation, that fosters remembrance, respect, and hope.”

A winding pavilion topped by a colourful roof leads visitors from Thomas Sankara Boulevard to the entrance, marked by vibrant yellow gates. Once inside the complex, the 450-square-metre mausoleum reveals an appropriately solemn, but not somber character. Thirteen triangular cutouts in the façade, made of locally sourced laterite and clay bricks, form a colonnade that lends the building a graphic quality. More importantly, the open spaces serve as a powerful physical representation of the absence of those killed.

The poignant symbolism continues indoors. Each of the 13 tombs, arranged around the perimeter of the 34-metre-wide circular structure, sits underneath a skylight which sends ethereal linear rays streaming onto the stone floors. Based on the sun’s position, a different tomb is illuminated each hour, altering the experience of the space throughout the day.

Thanks to the firm’s use of passive design strategies, the building offers a comfortable reprieve from the intense Burkina Faso heat, which is another incentive for visitors to stay and observe. The mausoleum is oriented east-west to harness the prevailing winds; the two louvered entrance gates facilitate passive ventilation. Its brick construction, meanwhile, also helps keep temperatures cool due to its large thermal mass. The material choice not only helped create jobs for the community, fostering construction skills that can be leveraged both in the region and beyond, it also seeks to honour Sankara’s legacy, as his administration established brick factories to build large-scale housing and infrastructure. As is signature Kéré, the use of vernacular materials allows the building to fit seamlessly into its context.

With the mausoleum now complete, the designers will turn their attention to the rest of the memorial park, whose public amenities are set to include an amphitheatre, restaurants, shops, offices, and educational and conference facilities. Walkways with gentle ramps will weave through the site, where visitors can learn more about the 1983 revolution led by Sankara. The park’s centrepiece will be a 100-metre-tall observation tower on the site where the former president was killed. A winding helicoidal ramp will make for a challenging journey up to an accessible terrace at 87 metres, a reference to the year of the assassination.

The next phase of the project will include a 14-hectare park, complete with an observation tower.

The 14-hectare green space be integrated into the Ouagadougou Green Belt, another nod to Sankara’s environmentalist ethos. In place of an extravagant monument, Kéré has designed something much more meaningful — an enduring symbol of the leader’s values.