‘Un roi en fuite: Le Mogho Naba Boukary Koutou pendant la pénétration française en pays mossi’

The year 1896 has remained engraved in the collective memory of the Mossi people. Indeed, this date has marked the forfeiture of the sovereignty of the emperor of the Mossi; the Mogho Naba Wobgo also called Boukary Koutou. The French colonial power has defeated and chased him out of his kingdom territory, thanks to the firepower that had been blown fiercely by Voulet Chanoine, one of the French brutal colonizers. Boukary Koutou knowing that he will not overcome these invaders, decided to run away, which can be considered as kind of ‘marronnage’ under the tropics, leaving behind him more questions than answers for his subjects. This unprecedented run away left wounds and stigmates that shook the Mossi collective core identity for which it is still yearning for healing and restoration. This article aims to depict the concept of identity myth and crises in conjunction with France conquest in Africa. Eliade, Jung and Kerenyi theories provide insights to understand the construction of the Mossi Identity myth through the findings of Guilhem et al., Kawada (2002), Hien and Salo. The objective of this article will be to witness the great impact of domination on collective identity evolution and perception.