Coat of arms of Burkina Faso

Coat of arms of Burkina Faso
Details
Armiger	Burkina Faso
Adopted	1997
Crest	A ribbon bearing the legend "BURKINA FASO" wrapped around the upper shafts of the spears
Escutcheon	Flag of Burkina Faso: Per fess gules and vert, a mullet Or with two crossed spears sable behind the shield.
Supporters	Two horses rampant argent
Compartment	An open book argent between ears of maize emanating from the motto ribbon
Motto	Unité, Progrès, Justice ("Unity, Progress, Justice")
Other elements	The emblem is placed on an enclosing shield argent

The coat of arms of Burkina Faso contains a shield based on the national flag. Above the shield the name of the country is shown, while below it is the national motto, Unité, Progrès, Justice (French for "Unity, Progress, Justice"). The supporters are two white stallions. This coat of arms is similar to the old Upper Volta coat of arms (see below), with the Burkina Faso flag replacing the Upper Volta flag in the middle.

Historic emblem (1984-1987)

Emblem 1984-1997

Thomas Sankara's 1983-1987 Burkinabé revolution implemented an emblem featuring a crossed mattock and AK-47 (an allusion to the Hammer and Sickle), with the motto La Patrie ou la Mort, nous vaincrons ("Fatherland or death, we will win"').

Coat of arms of Upper Volta

Coat of arms of Upper Volta

This somewhat resembles the current emblem, except that the enclosing shield has a blue background, the inescutcheon is based on the flag of Upper Volta with the superimposed letters "RHV" (for République de Haute-Volta), and the motto was Unité, Travail, Justice ("Unity, Labour, Justice").^[1]

1. ^ Guide to the Flags of the World by Mauro Talocci, revised and updated by Whitney Smith (ISBN 0-688-01141-1), p. 125.