Liberator: Thomas Sankara in the land of upright people

Liberator: Thomas Sankara in the land of upright people

Thomas Sankara led Burkina Faso for just a few years, but his achievements remain a beacon of hope for generations.

He rode a bike to work and banned luxuries like fancy cars and even air conditioning for his government officials. He said that his people’s liberation would not be complete or even possible without the liberation of women. He rejected foreign aid that came with strings attached and promoted a vision for pan-African decolonisation. He also played a mean guitar.

Thomas Sankara was one of the most significant liberation leaders of the last 50 years, and yet many in the West have never heard of him. His term in office post the revolution that put him in power saw colonially oppressed Upper Volta become independent, self-sufficient, Burkina Faso, with justice and equity at the core of the country’s life. His inspirational legacy lives on for many in the Majority World, as one of progressivism, socialism, anti-imperialism and integrity.

Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara could have gone into the clergy. His Catholic parents and local priests were keen for him to do so, but devout young Thomas chose instead to enter further, more rigorous education and, eventually, the military, and transformed his nation.

Sankara served in the military with distinction, but became disillusioned with serving the status quo, partly as a result of serving in an unjust border war and partly due to the growing influence of Marxist and Leninist ideas on his own thinking.

When he was made Minister of Information by an early coup in 1981, Sankara put his ideas of solidarity into practice. While other ministers used luxury cars, Sankara would cycle to work. While the approach of...

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