Wa Naa's Palace

Built in the ^19th century in a traditional Sudanese style, it is the tourist attraction of the city. Inspired by old mosques and shell-shaped towers, it is a small wonder. The Wa-na belong to the Manprusi ethnic group that established its power in Wa. Their ancestors drove the Lobi, who now live in Burkina Faso, out of this region. They founded the city and completed the Islamization of the population. This influence is easily felt by the presence of various mosques that dot the city, but also because one of the most important festivals of Wa, the Damba, corresponds to the commemoration of the birth of the prophet. Today the family is divided and the palace, since the death in 1998 of the penultimate king (the last one having died in 2006), had a tendency to fall into ruin at a worrying rate. According to some, the problem was that the chief did not live in the palace, so he did not try to maintain it to receive his guests or visitors. The subject has long been at the heart of disputes. In 2009, however, the World Monuments Fund, a private international organization dedicated to the preservation of the world's cultural heritage, led a campaign to restore the facade, which was completed in 2012. To visit the palace, ask a local to show you the house of the king's sons. They will be happy to show you the remnants of the palace's grandeur for a small fee, or as is the tradition, a kola nut.