When Sankara, along with his colleagues took power on August 4, 1983, there was great doubt within the Council of the Revolution as to what type of attitude would meet the new regime. Thomas Sankara had made it clear to the people that his regime focused on a sweeping political and social change to the Burkina Faso (known as the “Upper Volta” as a French colony until 1984), the council prepared for whatever type of response would meet the new government on the streets.The next day, on the 5th, Thousands of young citizens participated in marches and rallies demonstrating their support for Sankara’s new revolutionary government in which they hoped would change their country around. Throughout Sankara’s 4 year rule, these young and optimistic supporters desires were not disappointed.
Thomas Sankara (21 December, 1949-15 October, 1987) was a Burkinabe military captain, Marxian philosopher/revolutionary and Pan-Africanist, Sankara was regarded by many of his supporters as “Africa’s Che Guevara.” On August 4, 1984 Sankara, along with a number of his Colleagues rose to power, within the first few weeks, Sankara had already made the revolutionary changes to the Upper Volta in which he promised his supporters. Within these first few weeks, Sankara vaccinated 2.5 million children against meningitis, He lead a nation-wide literacy campaign in which increased the nations literacy rate from 13% in 1983 to 73% in 1987, he forbade public servants from using the Country’s money to fly 1st class, he took land from the feudal lords and distributed it directly to the peasants, wheat production grew from 1700 kg per hectare to 3200 kg and most importantly Sankara banned foreign aid to reduce the Country’s debt and reliance on the IMF and foreign developed countries with companies in Africa. His bold actions within his first few weeks mobilized much support for his administration, especially amongst the populations younger audience, as Sankara was only 33 himself and a very energetic personality. Even a quarter century after his death, on October 15th, thousands of Burkinabe Sankara loyalists gathered around his gravesite in Ouagadougou to pay respects to their fallen leader.
Throughout his 4 year campaign, Sankara established himself as one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of all time. The list of his great humanitarian achievements in such a short time is of incredible length. To outline his type of character as a leader, I will try to brief you on a few examples of his actions as President. Between 1983-1987, Sankara planted 10 million trees to prevent deforestation, he reduced his own salary to $450 a month, he refused to allow anyone (including himself) to use air conditioning because it was a luxury not everyone could afford in his country, he outlawed forced marriages and female genital mutilation and formed an all-women motorcycle personal guard, he required all public servants to wear berets made with Burkinabe fabrics woven by local industries, and he refused to have his portrait hung in public places because he said, “there are 7 million other Thomas Sankara’s.” While as a result of his many accomplishments for the people of the Burkina Faso his name was always mainstream within the nation’s politics, he became mainstream on the world stage,when, throughout the 1990s the country switched to a multi-party style of government and many parties began referring to themselves as “Sankarists”. This meant that they adhered to the same principals in which Sankara put to practise as leader of the Burkina Faso. The Sankarists parties generally only combine for less than 10% of the vote because the leaders of these parties are often corrupt and the voters are handicapped by the Country’s fragmentation and factionalism. However in congress, many of Sankara’s ideas often gain attention to fix many of the problems the nation faces today. After Sankara was ousted in a coup d’etat, many of the nations industries were privatised and the country’s problems began arising again, these problems such as corruption, excessive government spending and debt accumulation, deforestation and etc.
During the protests that rocked the Burkina Faso after the assassination of Independent newspaper editor Norbert Zongo in 1998, anger from the people of the amount of corruption taking place within their high-ranking officials were met with demands to reintroduce Sankara’s court system. In 2008 following the demonstrations against the artificially high prices of food which caused widespread hunger in the Burkina Faso, a Senegal-based rapper, Didier Awadi released a hard hitting song, “Bang Bang/Woye”, along with videos demonstrating the amount of hunger experienced by his people accompanied with quotes by Thomas Sankara excoriation Capitalism and imperialism. In 2011, following the repeated army mutinies in which government army officials looted and defaced local businesses, hundreds of protesters took to the streets wearing Sankara shirts and recited his famous quote, “A soldier without any political training is just a criminal with power.”
Sankara’s lasting legacy and strong presence in mainstream politics is largely attributable to a strong dissatisfaction with Burkina Faso’s current state today in which experiences widespread hunger, poverty, many human rights abuses by corrupt government officials and a democracy that brings no real change. The fact that so many protesters still remain loyal to Sankara can be coupled with the fact that the people of the Burkina Faso have been alienated from the nations political process, citizens too young to have lived under Sankara and others who remember little of his regime wear his shirt in defiance of the corruption and the neoliberal process in which damaged their country. In the Burkina Faso, Sankara represents a similar counterculture movement to Che Guevara or Bob Marley, his rebel attitude and presence again mobilizes groups of Burkinabes whom express rejection of the newly established order.
New Democrat Society 