The African ‘Che Guevara’.

Born in 1949 in a small village in the then Upper Volta to Mossi and Peul, Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara would later become the most outstanding face of the African Revolution. Most refer to him as the Upright man after renamed his country to 'Burkina Faso' translating to 'The land of the Upright man.' The young boy whose father wanted to become a priest would have destiny push him to become the country's savior at a time when it needed him the most. So outstanding and Unique he was that most of the leaders during that era became his natural enemies for the mere fact that they feared he would criticize their exploitations.

Sankara’s progressive ideologies were built at the Military academy of Kadiogo in Ouagadougou. He met a civilian professor Adama Touré, a renowned progressive ideologist who instead remained unexpressed to the public's eyes. Sankara was among the best students in his class, making him one of the few chosen students. They would discuss political topics, including imperialism, neocolonialism, socialism, communism, and liberation movements across Africa. This was the turning point for Sankara to build his personality as a politician and an iconic African Revolutionist.

A man of his mind.

 The charismatic Sankara was a person who had his mind. He thought differently. Most leaders and even his people could not thoroughly understand him. An excellent Guitarist, a cheerleader who loved storytelling and teaching his citizens. He was so different that even at his appointment in 1981 as the Minister of Information in the Saye Zerbo's military government, he stood out as a unique official. As other leaders were hurriedly and selfishly enriching themselves by going to fancy hotels and hiring the most expensive vehicles, Sankara rode a motorbike and would bike daily to work. He allowed the media's freedom to do independent investigative journalism, something that was not so common in those days. He would later surprise the whole World when he recognized womens rights.

 He once declared that “Comrades, there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women. May my eyes never see, and my feet never take me to a society where half the people are held in silence. I hear the roar of women's silence. I sense the rumble of their storm and feel the fury of their revolt." It was a shock to most of the World. The disguise and corruption exhibited by the government officials led him to resign in April 1982. He officially became the opposition leader and declared the regime as a "Misfortune to those who gag the people!". The government, in collaboration with the French, had to arrest him. His stay in jail leads to an uprising that put an end to the Saye regime. Ironically, his best friend, who helped him accent to power Balise Compaore would be used to assassinate him. It is sad!!

Exemplary African Leadership.

At only the age of 33, the young Sankara ascended to power on August 4^th, 1983, with the support of the Libyan government Muammar Gaddafi. He quickly changed the young nation's philosophies. Preached and practiced the need for self-reliance and abolished foreign aid. He even renamed his country from Upper Volta to  Burkina Faso, " The land of the Upright Man."  In a land where most of the population were languishing in poverty, Sankara opted to strip off all the privileges enjoyed by most African political class even to date. It seems Africa never took a lesson from our most outstanding leader.

He declared equal treatment of all people in the land of the upright men. He prioritized the fight against corruption, promoted his nation's beautification through reforestation, established a completely food-secure government, and had a healthy nation by building more health facilities. Just within three years, all this was achieved in Burkina Faso. Sankara had built a self-reliant nation which produced it's own cotton and clothes.

In the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) 1987, Sankara urged African heads of states to agree unanimously to avoid colonial taxes. “Debt is neo-colonialism, in which colonizers have transformed themselves into "technical assistants." We should rather say "technical assassins." They present us with financing, with financial backers. As if someone's backing could create development. We have been advised to go to these lenders. We have been offered nice financial arrangements. We have been indebted for 50, 60 years, and even longer. That means we have been forced to compromise our people for over 50 years.” He said.  They never listened to them, or rather were they cowards to take the bold steps? Were they such believers in the lending system that they couldn't believe it was illegal? Or were they part of the looting system that the colonial masters had carefully chartered? 

A day like yesterday^, October 15th, 1987, just a few months after he came from the OAU, the African hero fell. Conspiracy theories have it that he was assassinated by his best friend and ally Blaise Campaore. France and the neighboring greedy leaders of Africa have their hand in committing this atrocity.  Perhaps the most powerful and best President that Africa would ever have was not even given a proper burial. His body was mutilated and rushed 6 feet on the ground. Yesterday marked 33 years since the son of the soil left us, but as he had rightfully placed it, "While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.” We still remember and keep his ideas burning in our hearts as young Africans, hoping that we will make Africa great as he had envisioned it. Patrie ou la Mort, nous vaincrons ("Fatherland or death, we shall overcome"').