Thomas Sankara: Our Own Che- December 21, 1949 – October 15, 1987

By Olajide Jatto
It’s no secret to say the word
‘hero’ is very much over used
in the society we live in
today. A corrupt politician or
a prima donna celebrity or
sports person manages to
visit an orphanage after a
long night of drinking and
smoking and he or she is
hailed a hero.
Well, the good news is heroes
do exist. And in many cases,
they pay the ultimate price
for their beliefs. Patrice
Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah,
Amilcar Cabral; these are
heroes. And so is Thomas
Sankara.
Thomas Isidore Noel Sankara
was born on the 21st of
December, 1949. He was
born a half caste between the
Mossi and Fulani people of
French Upper Volta. Some of
the most disadvantaged
people of the region.
Biblically, Gideon comes to
mind. A powerful and
revolutionary leader rising
out of the midst of some of
the least influential people in
the country. Thomas watched
his father fight in the French
army during the second
world war. And captured by
the Nazi’s! I wasn’t there, but
this event must have shaped
his thinking.
He must have thought, “are
we really free from these
people?” “Why can’t we just
live our lives without their
interference?”
Thomas, while serving in
Madagascar, saw uprisings
against the government of
Philibert Tsiranana. And read
writings by Karl Marx and
Vladimir Lenin. He held a
couple of government
positions on his return to his
country and his popularity
grew. Sankara resigned his
position as secretary of state
for information in protest to
the government’s shabby
treatment of labour unions. A
coup overcame that
government and Thomas
became Prime Minister.
Again, he was place under
house arrest along with some
of his friends. This move, due
to the popularity of Sankara,
caused an uprising.
Thomas Sankara became the
president of Upper Volta in
1983 through a coup at the
age of 33. It was time for this
young leader to put
everything he had learnt to
use. He had been influenced
by Che Guevera, Fidel Castro,
Vladimir Lenin, Kwame
Nkurmah and so on. And in
my opinion, he had learnt
well!
Sankara had an anti-
imperialist agenda. He
wanted Africa to be African.
If we had independence,
then he wanted us to be
truly independent. Wear
African. Think African. Act
African. Be African. He had
seen his father arrested by
the Nazis fighting for a
foreign country, and it
probably just didn’t sit well
with him. Why should we be
free, but still take commands
from our colonial masters?
And Thomas got to work!
And some job he did!
He was the one of the first
world leaders to actively
promote women’s rights. He
was also the first African
leader to appoint women to
key positions in the cabinet.
Thomas sold all the Mercedes
cars that belonged to the
government. All! And
replaced them with the
cheapest cars available in the
country. He refused to take
foreign aid. He was fully
aware that this was the most
effective way to be
controlled. He gave land to
the peasants rather than rich
land owners. This made food
production increase and the
country achieved food
sufficiency in a relatively
short while. Sankara went
around the country without
the fanfare that seems to
accompany most African
leaders. He even changed the
name of the country to
Burkinafaso (a land of
upright men).
And wait for this… it was
even reported that he
lowered his salary to $450 a
month and limited his official
possessions to a car, four
bikes, three guitars, a fridge
and a freezer!
He even composed the
national anthem of the
country.
Listen, Carlsberg don’t make
presidents, but if they did,
they’ll make Thomas
Sankaras!
But by not ‘playing ball’ and
keeping it business as usual,
Thomas had stepped on toes.
And like Lumumba, he had it
coming.
Thomas Sankara had in the
year 1976 met Blaise
Compaore in Morocco. They
had become best friends.
Compaore had even master
minded the coup that
brought Sankara to power.
Well, there is an African
saying that says “If the
internal death doesn’t kill,
the external one can’t”.
Compaore through the
backing of the French and
American powers was to later
assassinate Sankara in a 1987
coup. He said it was a coup
necessary to correct the
faults of Sankara’s
government. A fault only he
saw big enough to necessitate
the killing of one of the best
leaders the continent has
ever seen.
Sankara has always been
compared to Che Guevara.
They are both seen as
associates of Fidel Castro.
The berets are similar. And
both are also keen
motorcyclists. But more
importantly, they were
revolutionaries. People we
need more of in Africa.
Thomas even said “…we say
that Che Guevara is also
African and Burkinabe.” And
above all, they both paid the
ultimate price for what they
believed in.
On the 15th of October 1987.
A week after he had
rendered the now famous
words “…while
revolutionaries as individuals
can be murdered, you
cannot kill ideas”, Sankara
was murdered in a coup led
by Blaise Compaore (who is
still the country’s leader
today!). Flimsy excuses were
given, but the main reason is
simply to silent another
leading spark of light on the
dark continent. To muzzle
another voice that had dared
to speak and act up against
colonialism. To keep control
of the continent by the
imperial authorities.
And they succeeded! They
have succeeded so far. And
all we’re left to do is pray
and hope that another
comes. But will the other
coming be allowed to be
himself? Will he be allowed
to live?
Sankara has come and gone.
Played his part and left us.
He will be remembered for
standing tall for what he
believed and being strong
enough to fight when he had
to. His legacy will live on.
The question is will his dream
ever see the light of day?

#CONSENSUS 2015