On the traffic lights of the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, it is not uncommon to see advertising posters. However, these posters do not respect the law on advertising in Burkina Faso.
When you walk the streets of the town of Sya, you frequently see posters that look a little more like advertising, on traffic light supports, on the walls of public buildings, on tree trunks, where there are the most people in order to get a lot of feedback. Indeed, these are generally ream sheets on which are printed, in large characters, job offers or even messages selling a traditional medicine or a so-called traditional practitioner supposed to cure this or that illness. The practice has grown. However, nothing, absolutely nothing proves the veracity of the information conveyed through these posters. When it comes to advertisements for traditional remedies, they focus on sensitive problems like sexual weakness and impotence, hemorrhoids, etc. Illnesses that some people have but, very often, do not talk about. As a result, some people might be interested and will then call the numbers on the poster. Are they able to cure their illness? One thing is certain, this advertising system does not comply with the advertising code in Burkina Faso. First, to practice the advertising profession, you must have professional aptitude attested by a university degree or equivalent in the fields of communication, marketing or public relations or have professional experience of at least five years. years in these fields; have previously made a declaration of activity to the national authority responsible for regulating communication; be registered in the commercial register and have a unique financial identifier (IFU) number. In view of all these conditions, it is obvious that these advertising posters do not respect the law relating to advertising properly. At times, during checks, the police tear off the papers, but they are glued back together and most of the time, we do not know the author. More communication will allow everyone to better understand the rules that govern the advertising sector. But we also need repression to put an end to these wild posters.
Thanks to Prisca TIENDREBEOGO/Stagiaire
