is not due to prejudice, but based on facts. In Africa, a continent where the system is not yet perfect, corruption is the norm, integrity is alternative.
However, in a small African country called Burkina Faso , an alternative person appeared. believes in Marxism, and after he came to power, he vigorously cracked down on corruption and developed the economy. Just four years later, he was assassinated by his former allies. Before his death, he said, "This may be my destination."
He is Thomas Sankara, the former leader of Burkina Faso, and is known as "the Che Guevara of Africa" or "the honestest president on the African continent."
Thomas Sankara
Make your motherland great
Burkina Faso is located in the landlocked country in western Africa. All its territory is located on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert . It was once colonized by France. It was declared independent on August 5, 1960 and named the country as on Walter Republic . But the "Upper Walter Republic" that escaped the colonies was still poor, and the people were in a difficult situation, but the government leaders were crazy about embezzlement and money.
People need a hero, and he, Thomas Sankara, stood up!
Thomas Sankara was born in 1949 in a wealthy family in the country. His father was one of the few African officials employed by the colonies, so Sankara received a modern education from a young age. After graduating from high school, Sankara's father wanted him to become a pastor, but he chose to join the army. The army was very popular at the time because a corrupt president had just been removed.
1966, 17-year-old Sankara entered the Cadiogo Military Academy in Ouagadougo . There, he not only learned military knowledge, but also learned the whole world under the guidance of the professor: imperialism, colonialism, Marxism and communist theory, which deeply stimulated the hearts of this young man and even changed his life's destiny.
1983 On August 4, 1983, it was already the army captain Sankara, who led a group of young officers with ideals to launch a coup, overthrew the corrupt Baptiste Vedraogo government and established the "Eighty Fourth Revolution" in history. After the government was reorganized in September of the same year, Sankara personally served as chairman of the National Revolutionary Committee and president of the Republic.
coup did not cause much turmoil in this country, because people thought it was just the collapse of a corrupt government and the coming of power of another corrupt government, but Sankara will tell them that this time will definitely be different!
Sankara's first priority after taking office is to provide food, housing and medical services to those in much need. He launched a large-scale vaccination program to try to eradicate polio , meningitis and measles . Between 1983 and 1985, about 2 million Burkina Faso children were vaccinated without having to face the threat of fatal infectious diseases.
Before Sankara's presidency, the infant mortality rate in Burkina Faso was about 20.8%, down to 14.5% during his presidency.
Sankara government is also the first to publicly admit that the AIDS epidemic is a major threat to the African government, and proposed a package of plans to properly place people infected with AIDS to reduce the infection rate.
Sankara also called on each village to build a pharmacy and established pharmacies in 5384 of the 7500 villages.
In order to develop the economy, Sankara formulated a policy to redistribute the land of private landowners, and distributed part of the land to poor farmers for free. He also suspended the rural capita tax and family rent, which gave farmers in the country the first time they had surplus grain at their homes.
Sankara has also developed a massive infrastructure plan and laid over 700 kilometers of railways in an attempt to connect all areas through a massive road and railway construction.
In order to reduce forest deforestation, fight against wind and sand, and protect farmland. Sankara created the "People's Harvest Forest Nursery" to supply 7,000 villages and organizes people to plant millions of trees.
National education is also the focus of Sankara's governance. Just like the literacy campaign in the early days of the founding of New China, the Sankara government also launched a literacy campaign across the country. In 1983, the literacy rate in the country was only 13%, while by 1987, this proportion had risen to 73%.
Sankara also advocates women's liberation and opposes African traditional women's circumcision and polygamy. He expanded the proportion of women working in government departments and encouraged young women to join the army. He also encouraged her husband to go to the market to prepare meals and experience the various situations facing women.
Right, most of the population in Burkina Faso believes in Islam , and Sankara himself is also familiar with " Quran ". However, after he came to power, he firmly opposed fundamentalism: If a country wants to modernize, it must take the path of secularization.
A poor but upright leader
1984, on the first anniversary of Sankara's inauguration, he renamed the country name "Under Walter", which has been used since the French colonial period, to Burkina Faso: means the land of the upright people.
National self-esteem is the source of Sankara's action, and integrity and not corruption are his life goal.
Burkina Faso people took a photo in front of his statue
In order to reduce government spending and reduce the burden on the people, he first sold all the government's Mercedes-Benz cars and made the Renault 5 (the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at the time) the official service car for the ministers.
He reduced the wages of wealthy civil servants (including himself) and banned government officials from taking first class when they visited and inspected. He transformed the supply store, which only serves the military, into a state-owned supermarket open to everyone (the country's first supermarket). He also asked civil servants to take off their suits when they go to work and wear traditional clothing made by their own workers to support local textile industry and cotton farmers.
Burkina Faso traditional clothing
not only strictly restricts government officials, but also Sankara has higher requirements for herself. As president, Sankara refused to use air conditioning in his office, citing that many civilians could not enjoy the luxury except for a few Burkina Faso people.
Sankara also lowered his salary to $450 a month, so that after he was killed in 1987, when government officials counted his assets, they found that had only one ordinary house purchased in installments, a car, four bicycles, three guitars, two refrigerators, and one of them was broken.
Although life is not rich, Sankara lives a very happy life. He loves music. As a versatile guitarist, he created the new national anthem of Burkina Faso, " One Night ", which is still sung as the country's national anthem even after he was murdered in the coup.
Sankara also loves sports, which is a habit he has retained as a soldier. Every morning, people can always see him running on the streets of the capital, without a follower, except for his revolver, .
Relying on a clear stream brought by President Sankara, the entire country of Burkina Faso has a new look, the phenomenon of corruption has been greatly reduced, and the entire country has flourished and developed. Sankara became a hero of all the poor Africans at that time. The world of also knew his name and called him "African Che Guevara". Is
after all just an ideal?
gains and losses. Sankara's policy benefited the vast number of middle and lower-class people in Burkina Faso, but at the same time it deeply offended the powerful and wealthy people in this country, and the tribes and local leaders who had long relied on forced peasants to obtain benefits.
At the same time, the anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism in Sankara's bloodline, the pursuit of national independence and independence, also offended France, the former colonial mother country, because it harmed France's interests in the local area.
So on October 15, 1987, Sankara was assassinated by troops led by former ally Bryce Compore , while his wife and children fled abroad with the help of others.
Bryce Combore
In order to consolidate the regime, Conbore urged the mutiny to be launched by so-called opposition forces, and he, as a loyal ally of Sankara, was almost killed. "But he survived by chance and eventually "acvenged the president."
Another face Pore actively moved closer to Western countries and the International Monetary Fund , which they controlled, and began to cancel the policies implemented by Sankara in the past, , especially the policies on land distribution and economic nationalization.
Conbore has become more and more serious, and has ruled the country under its jurisdiction. All the wrong mistakes were attributed to Sankara, and they also obstructed the commemorative activities of Sankara. These actions were effective. With iron fist methods, Compore served as president for 27 years. It was not until October 2014 that the people were ousted and fled abroad to exile.
Conpore lost his power, and the people of Burkina Faso no longer believed his lies. Driven by international organizations and Sankara's widow, the government began to investigate the death of Sankara.
2021, 34 years after Sankara was assassinated, justice was allowed to make partial statements in . Former President Compore and 13 other people were prosecuted. They will participate in the murder of Sankara and Other crimes in the coup were tried, , but Compore was already free abroad, and the Burkina Faso government had no way to extradite him back to China.
The lawyer representing Compore appeared in court was even more direct. He did not deny the crime, but only emphasized that Compore as the former president according to the law, and Compore enjoyed immunity.
despicable is a pass for the despicable, and noble is the epitaph of the noble. In fact, according to the witness's testimony, Sankara's subordinates reminded him at that time that his ally Compore was not reliable, and they might even attack him and requested the arrest of Compore, , but Sankara said, "Friendship cannot be betrayed"!
Sankara's cemetery
Yes, from this sentence from Sankara and his life story, this is an idealist, but now his motherland Burkina Faso is getting farther and farther away from his ideals.
Burkina Faso is one of the low-development countries determined by United Nations . The public literacy rate has once again dropped to the lowest level in the world. Terrorism has taken root here, and the ongoing social unrest has led to the displacement of millions of people. Elites fled the motherland, leaving only ordinary people struggling.
"The year he died, I was still a baby. I knew him in college, but it was too late! ” said an intellectual in the country! Can ideals really change reality? The answer to this question Burkina Faso is still pursuing.
