Travel Guide Kaya

The city of Kaya, which has a population of nearly 70,000, is located on the Sahel road, a good hour north of Ouagadougou. Kaya means "sprouted mil" in mooré, a name that would come from the misunderstanding of a French colonizer who, on his arrival, asked an old woman who was drying millet germs for the name of the village. She misunderstood the question and replied that she was drying kaya, or sprouted millet, and the name remained. Kaya is one of those quiet and pleasant small towns, with a good-natured entertainment, where people enjoy strolling for a few hours. It is renowned for its leather production because, in the past, the region housed the workers of this material from the Mossi court, to whom these craftsmen supplied the cavalry's saddles and harnesses. Today, the city still produces many leather objects, very famous for their beauty throughout the country. In the city centre, a vast permanent market reserved for craftsmen allows the discovery of many objects, such as sandals, saddlebags, handbags, very beautiful boxes, wallets, etc.