Ouaga 2000 is a modern subdivision of Ouagadougou, located southwest of the central part of the city. The development was started on the eve of a French summit in 1996. It was apparently the city's first attempt to really engage in any form of coordinated urban planning, and that in the past the planning process had been much more haphazard. So this neighborhood(the term is a stretch as it's fairly spread out and disconnected) features streets in a large grid pattern and many of the more luxurious homes and hotels in Ouaga. However, for every large home that has a well-kept pool and flower beds, there are just as many empty lots or buildings that seemed to have been abandoned halfway through construction, which gives certain streets an eery feel. There are also a number of extremely large and opulent (at least from the outside) government buildings that I have on more than one occasion mistaken for fancy hotels before reading their signs.
The central landmark of Ouaga 2000 is the Monument to the Martyrs, which is the large tower pictured above that serves as the center of a giant traffic circle. It has lots of mirrors on it and looks vaguely futuristic.
Everything takes on the faint reddish-tan hue of the soil, not helped by the dust constantly kicked up by motos, so my view of the monument is a lot more orange than this picture. Apparently as the rainy season continues, more trees and flowers will bloom so I picked a good time to be here despite the heat and occasional humidity.
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