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This article describes in a historical perspective how the religious sisters negotiate power and hierarchy within the Catholic Church and in the public space in Burkina Faso. It reflects on the transformations of the notions of emancipation and obedience in this environment and examines the conditions allowing some women to free themselves from social and cultural structures to find personal fulfilment in religious institutions. Interviews with a number of religious sisters shed light on the ways in which these women collectively seize the opportunities to make their voices heard in the public sphere to defend their ideals of justice and peace. Finally, the article analyzes the relations that the nuns have with the world today.