a history of two African nations…through postage stamps

From Michael Kevane, an economist at Santa Clara University

An analysis of the imagery on postage stamps suggests that regimes in
Sudan and Burkina Faso have pursued very different strategies in
representing the nation. Sudan’s stamps focus on the political center and
dominant elite (current regime, Khartoum politicians, and Arab and Islamic
identity) while Burkina Faso’s stamps focus on society (artists, multiple
ethnic groups, and development). Sudan’s stamps build an image of the
nation as being about the northern-dominated regime in Khartoum (whether
military or parliamentary); Burkina Faso’s stamps project an image of the
nation as multi-ethnic and development-oriented.

He provides a history of each country through postage stamps.  See the whole
article here.

Here are a couple of sample stamps.