So I stumbled on the story of this great man and I was flabbawhelmed, I fell in love immediately with him, his person, all that he stood for. And it got me thinking, why am i just hearing about him, he was one of the greatest leaders Africa had for crying out loud, he was even a west African not so far from my beloved 9ja. Why don't we teach African history in our schools, why?? why do we bury the struggles of our fathers?? Continue to rest in peace Sankara, ur type is very rare but may we be soon blessed with an even greater leader than you and may your legacies never die, may your struggles never be in vain.
The last statement in the video "in Africa, we kill the people we should celebrate and celebrate the pple we should get rid of" sad but true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc-wLOipffY

Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (December 21, 1949 – October 15, 1987) was a Burkinabé military, a captain in the Upper Volta Air Force, he was trained as a pilot, Pan-Africanist theorist, and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. Viewed as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution. He was a true African Patriot and probably the only African head of state that understood what it will take to change Africa. As president, he promoted "Democratic and Popular Revolution"

Sankara seized power in a 1983 popularly supported coup at the age of 33, with the goal of eliminating Corruption and the Dominance of the former French colonial power ( who is still economically attached to 24 of Africa's 54 nations ) He wanted his country "to accept the responsibility of its reality and its destiny with human dignity"

He immediately launched the most ambitious program for social and economic change ever attempted on the African continent. To symbolize this new autonomy and rebirth, he even renamed the country from the French colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso ("Land of the Upright People".

*His government included large number of women. His policy was oriented toward fighting corruption, reforestation, averting famine, and making education and health real priorities.

His foreign policies were centered around anti-imperialism, with his government eschewing all foreign aid, pushing for odious debt reduction, nationalizing all land and mineral wealth, and averting the power and influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

His domestic policies were focused on preventing famine with agrarian self-sufficiency and land reform, prioritizing education with a nation-wide literacy campaign, and promoting public health by vaccinating 2.5 million children against meningitis, yellow fever and measles.

Other components of his national agenda included planting over ten million trees to halt the growing desertification of the Sahel, doubling wheat production by redistributing land from feudal landlords to peasants, suspending rural poll taxes and domestic rents, and establishing an ambitious road and rail construction program to "tie the nation together."

On the localized level Sankara also called on every village to build a medical dispensary and had over 350 communities construct schools with their own labour. He appointed women to high governmental positions and encouraging them to work outside the home and stay in school even if pregnant. Improving women's status was one of Sankara's explicit goals, that was unprecedented in West Africa. Moreover, his commitment to women's rights led him to outlaw female genital circumcision, forced marriages, condemned polygamy; and promoted contraception.

*His government was the First African government to claim that AIDS was a major threat to Africa.

In order to achieve this radical transformation of society, he increasingly exerted authoritarian control over the nation, eventually banning unions and a free press, which he believed could stand in the way of his plans and be manipulated by powerful outside influences.

To counter his opposition in towns and workplaces around the country, he also tried corrupt officials, counter-revolutionaries and "lazy workers" in peoples revolutionary tribunals. ( He tried corrupt officials in open tribunals, took back what they had stolen and make them apologize openly to the Nation but did not kill or imprison them )
His revolutionary programs for African self-reliance as a defiant alternative to the neo-liberal development strategies imposed by the West, made him an icon to many of Africa's poor.

Sankara remained popular with most of his country's impoverished citizens. However his policies alienated and antagonised the vested interests of an array of groups, which included the small but powerful Burkinabé middle class, the tribal leaders whom he stripped of the long-held traditional right to forced labour and tribute payments, and the foreign financial interests in France and their ally the Ivory Coast. As a result, he was overthrown and assassinated in a coup d'état led by the French-backed Blaise Compaoré on October 15, 1987. A week before his execution, he declared: "While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas." THOMAS SANKARA IS THE GREATEST AFRICAN LEADER WHO EVER LIVED PERIOD! HIS LIFE STORY & ACCOMPLISHMENTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN EVERY CLASSROOM ACROSS THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.

If you can, watch his documentary on youtube, he was really a great man.




okotv, i'm alive dear.

What a man he was! I see Atiku walking in his footsteps as from 2015.

CFCfan:
What a man he was! I see Atiku walking in his footsteps as from 2015.

Atiku ke, not in a million yrs.

Based on what indices?

Yes he had potential and yes he had charisma and yes there have been poor African leaders over the years

but lets not forget that this is still the continent that produced Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah

mikeansy:
Based on what indices?

Yes he had potential and yes he had charisma and yes there have been poor African leaders over the years

but lets not forget that this is still the continent that produced Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah

Guess I should modify the topic to 1 of the best. Nelson Mandela and Nkrumah we know and celebrate, but this man is an unsung hero. We hardly hear his name when we talk about great African leaders but he was really great, that's why i'm making great emphasis on him.

If na Nigeria he dey, he will be corrupted by the bad eggs

Just because he decided not to follow the Imperial colonial masters he was assassinated













This is how this whites kill our men of honour, economy and values

I dont really agree with you about Thomas Sankara being an unsung hero. Maybe you did not do campus politics or any course in political economy. He is always qouted during aluta.

CFCfan:
What a man he was! I see Atiku walking in his footsteps as from 2015.

You jest! The corrupt Atiku that uses Naija's stolen money to throw lavish weddings for his progenies all over the world. He's a thief and, worst of all, he's not patriotic. Bloody thief!

Hey there, Chels fan.

donpetros:
I dont really agree with you about Thomas Sankara being an unsung hero. Maybe you did not do campus politics or any course in political economy. He is always qouted during aluta.

Did u have to engage in campus politics or do a course in political economy before you heard about Nelson Mandela or Kwame Nkrumah??

uzolexis:


Did u have to engage in campus politics or do a course in political economy before you heard about Nelson Mandela or Kwame Nkrumah??

Nice response ...if Mandela and Nkrumah can be known to students outside the four walls of the University, I see no reason why sankara can't be known also....

Great Man. Just like our own GMB.



Sai Buhari.

Fela paid tribute the him in a song as a true african but he didn't think much of the rest of the African leaders like obj.

Anybody Fela acknowledges is a great one.

TS as we fondly call him. Can't say more but he's well celebrated here in Nigeria. Oct 15th. There's always been an annual lecture on his honour by the NPC.

As these numbers demonstrate, France is quite
desperate but active to keep a strong hold on his
colonies what ever the cost, no matter what.
In March 2008, former French President Jacques
Chirac said:
“Without Africa, France will slide down into the
rank of a third [world] power”
Chirac’s predecessor François Mitterand already
prophesied in 1957 that:
“Without Africa, France will have no history in
the 21st century”
At this very moment I’m writing this article, 14
african countries are obliged by France, trough a
colonial pact, to put 85% of their foreign reserve
into France central bank under French minister
of Finance control. Until now, 2014, Togo and
about 13 other african countries still have to pay
colonial debt to France. African leaders who
refuse are killed or victim of coup. Those who
obey are supported and rewarded by France with
lavish lifestyle while their people endure extreme
poverty, and desperation.
It’s such an evil system even denounced by the
European Union, but France is not ready to move
from that colonial system which puts about 500
billions dollars from Africa to its treasury year in
year out.
We often accuse African leaders of corruption
and serving western nations interests instead,
but there is a clear explanation for that behavior.
They behave so because they are afraid the be
killed or victim of a coup. They want a powerful
nation to back them in case of aggression or
trouble. But, contrary to a friendly nation
protection, the western protection is often
offered in exchange of these leaders renouncing
to serve their own people or nations’ interests.
African leaders would work in the interest of
their people if they were not constantly stalked
and bullied by colonial countries.
In 1958, scared about the consequence of
choosing independence from France, Leopold
Sédar Senghor declared: “The choice of the
Senegalese people is independence; they want it
to take place only in friendship with France, not
in dispute.”
From then on France accepted only an
“independence on paper” for his colonies, but
signed binding “Cooperation Accords”, detailing
the nature of their relations with France, in
particular ties to France colonial currency (the
Franc), France educational system, military and
commercial preferences.
Below are the 11 main components of the
Colonisation continuation pact since 1950s:
#1. Colonial Debt for the benefits of France
colonization
The newly “independent” countries should pay for
the infrastructure built by France in the country
during colonization.
I still have to find out the complete details about
the amounts, the evaluation of the colonial
benefits and the terms of payment imposed on
the african countries, but we are working on that
(help us with info).
#2. Automatic confiscation of national reserves
The African countries should deposit their
national monetary reserves into France Central
bank.
France has been holding the national reserves of
fourteen african countries since 1961: Benin,
Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali,
Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial
Guinea and Gabon.
“The monetary policy governing such a diverse
aggregation of countries is uncomplicated
because it is, in fact, operated by the French
Treasury, without reference to the central fiscal
authorities of any of the WAEMU or the CEMAC.
Under the terms of the agreement which set up
these banks and the CFA the Central Bank of
each African country is obliged to keep at least
65% of its foreign exchange reserves in an
“operations account” held at the French
Treasury, as well as another 20% to cover
financial liabilities.
The CFA central banks also impose a cap on
credit extended to each member country
equivalent to 20% of that country’s public
revenue in the preceding year.
http://www.siliconafrica.com/france-colonial-tax/

Yes but see what happened recently to those who betrayed him. What goes around comes around...

uzolexis:


Guess I should modify the topic to 1 of the best. Nelson Mandela and Nkrumah we know and celebrate, but this man is an unsung hero. We hardly hear his name when we talk about great African leaders but he was really great, that's why i'm making great emphasis on him.

for u thomas sankara is an unsung hero.a lot of us know about the great Thomas Sankara,he is one of Africa finest leader

I heard of this man frm a friend, nd equally fell in love small.

omololu2020:
for u thomas sankara is an unsung hero.a lot of us know about the great Thomas Sankara,he is one of Africa finest leader

Not a lot of pple know about him still,twas the recent happening in Burkina Faso that brought him back to light.

misterjosh:
I heard of this man frm a friend, nd equally fell in love small.

I doubt there's anyone who hears his story that won't feel the same way.

Takamba:
Yes but see what happened recently to those who betrayed him. What goes around comes around...

What happened 2 Blaise is not enough punishment 4 his atrocities, his woes av just begun.

Mandela to me was no African hero, he was a Caucasian puppet, a sell out, who the caucasians made and now want to present to us as a hero. Mandela chose life over principle.


The real African heroes are. Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, and Kwame Nkruma.
They died for the emancipation of the Blackman from the Caucasians.

The fact that they are not being hyped by the caucasians only reinforces their position as real African leaders.


They strip us of our real leaders, impose their puppets on us and then turn back to accuse us of being incapable producing good leaders. The problem of African is a problem of leadership they tell us, blame your leaders, not the caucasians.

He is a hero!

I learned that he didn't left a penny for his family. Chai! Chai!! E no go better for Blaise Compaoré!

Thomas Sankara was a great African leader. His personality is a "rare find" among leaders. The only Nigerian that may be close to him in term of patriotism (not as a man of the people) is Tunde Idiagbon. Sankara was patriotic and a man of the people. Tunde Idiagbon was patriotic, disciplined, and fearless. I hope, I am not unfair to Buhari, because it takes a great and confident leader to allow his assistant have the kind of influence Idiagbon had during their regime.
I can't help but imagine what Nigeria will look like if Babangida's coup had failed. I think Nigeria would probably be like Malaysia today.

CFCfan:
What a man he was! I see Atiku walking in his footsteps as from 2015.

Please tell me this is sarcasm.

HNosegbe:


Please tell me this is sarcasm.

It was

Maybe in english speaking countries he is not popular, but he is well known in french speaking african countries. In fact a family friend gave to his two children the name of Thomas Sankara and Serme Mariam (Sankara's wife)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VftR9vOn8xE

ok.

True leader and sons of Africa Thomas sankara , Patrice lumumba , not the bastards and vagabonds we have in powers nowadays ..
#respect sankara ,lumumba and other great African leaders .

politics is truly a dirty game , the west have a huge role in the killings of these two guys but at the end of the day the west will always defend their own, but we Africa always against each Other .
mother Africa where art thou

pazienza:
Mandela to me was no African hero, he was a Caucasian puppet, a sell out, who the caucasians made and now want to present to us as a hero. Mandela chose life over principle.


The real African heroes are. Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, and Kwame Nkruma.
They died for the emancipation of the Blackman from the Caucasians.

The fact that they are not being hyped by the caucasians only reinforces their position as real African leaders.


They strip us of our real leaders, impose their puppets on us and then turn back to accuse us of being incapable producing good leaders. The problem of African is a problem of leadership they tell us, blame your leaders, not the caucasians.

Well said bro .

TS as we fondly call him. Can't say more but he's well celebrated here in Nigeria. Oct 15th. There's always been an annual lecture on his honour by the NPC.

an upright man sighted..








Atabor.