I was eight years old. The day was October 15, 1987. I can still remember that there was a palpable sense of loss to the African continent that made no sense to me at the time. There was an unmistakable sadness and even tears in the streets and some homes. As I grew older and became more aware of the issues which enmesh the continent of Africa, the magnitude and enormity of that loss became clearer to me. As I watched him and read about him and followed his life, I was drawn to learn and to know more about this controversial yet iconic leader called Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara. An imperfect man, a rare ilk of men, whom like us all could have many aspects of his life and leadership questioned but he stepped out and stood out from the crowd of lookalikes on these two: love of country and hatred for corruption. His patriotism is undeniable and uncommon, his integrity and love for his people and country backed by the simple life he lived and a believe that his country like all African countries has what it takes to offset the backwardness from years of colonialism. He was a visionary, a leader with a back bone, exuberant in his youth, and fearless in the exposition and pursuit of his ideals whether before God, countrymen, citizens of the world or other presidents irrespective of whether they were from the North, South, East or the West. Sankara was a gift that was brutally taken away before he could be fully unparceled. He was a rare gem who came to his people packaged as a man of dedicated simplicity, so simple his true value can be easily and deceptively misconstrued. Thomas Sankara like all true revolutionaries was liked by some, questioned by many, hated by others and fatally betrayed by one.
His chief betrayer was his best friend and second in command, a puppet to the west who, consumed by his own ambition, mocked friendship, steeled his nerves, stabbed trust and loyalty in the heart and killed his friend and boss. For 27 years he has lived with the ensuing and brewing consequences of his actions. Blaise Compaore, deluded by his personality cult, with his own hands has poured the fuel and struck the match which ends his reign. Two weeks after the anniversary of Sankara's death, his ghost shows up, stoking the revolutionary embers which lay in wait since his death, enveloping the spirit which now sees the people of Burkina Faso say enough is enough... when you spit at the wind you spit at your face... the people of Burkina Faso got tired of being endlessly kicked around by Blaise Compaore's boots and books of oppression, they grew wearily tired of living by the sea and washing their hands with spittle. Blaise Compaore is given a little taste of his own medicine sprinkled and steeped in grace as his life is spared. The people of Burkina Faso rise up in kindred spirit to identify with the man who said "It took the madmen of yesterday for us to be able to act with extreme clarity today. I want to be one of those madmen. We must dare to invent the future." - Thomas Sankara. You can watch "Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man" here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5USbA701SI
It was Robert F Kennedy who said: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Today many Burkinabes strike out against injustice, and send forth many tiny ripples of hope, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring to build a current which is sweeping down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance in Burkina Faso.
God bless Burkina Faso... Long live Burkina Faso and may it become and transform into a land of learning, excellence, growth and sustained prosperity.
Brussels © October 2014 afesehngwaHilary
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