Who is Thomas Sankara?
Thomas Sankara is one of the most notable and iconic figures of the Burkinabe Revolution in 1983, and African Marxism-Leninism. In his early years, he would rigorously apply himself in school, excelling in French and mathematics. He renamed his country from French Upper Volta to Burkina Faso to relinquish the country of its painful colonial past.
He was a notable pan-Africanist, a Marxist-Leninist, who had initiated pro-environmental initiatives, a unique type of feminism in Burkinese society, the repudiation of foreign debt, and international aid (leaving the IMF.) He also initiated the nationwide vaccination of 2.5 million Burkinabes to strengthen immunization from Meningitis, yellow fever, and measles. Moreover, he raised the literacy rates from 13% to a large margin of 73%.
Blaise Compaore would stage a coup against the French Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, and usher Thomas Sankara as the new president. He would also lead the assassination of Sankara, succeeding him as president up to 2014. In other words, Sankara’s rise and end to power were both accomplished by his colleague Blaise Compaore. This murder event led to his being sentenced to life in prison last year in April.
Early life
He was born Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara in 1949 in Yako, French Upper Volta. His parents were Joseph and Marguerite Sankara. His father was a mixed Mossi-Folani gendarme (a member of the gendarmerie) for the French colonial elite, which gave Thomas Sankara a relatively better living situation than other Africans. Sankara lived in a brick house in the upper hills of Gaoua along with other gendarmes overseeing the entire city.
Thomas Sankara in his primary school years in Bobo-Dioulasso, was a very studious man; excelling in French and mathematics. A consistent and eager church-goer, he was suggested by the church priests to enroll in a seminary school (faith-based school.) Despite initially agreeing, he instead furthers his education in lycées where he met his Fidèle Too and Soumane Touré.
Military career in Kadiogo
Sankara’s parents wanted him to become a priest because of the privileges and prestige that come with it. But Sankara instead chose the military and so he studied in the Kadiogo and Antsirabe military academies in Upper Volta and Madagascar respectively. By joining the military, Sankara would receive a scholarship that the family needed to save costs. In the Kadiogo military academy, it was said that the trainees were not only taught about the military but also the social sciences by civilian professors. Adama Touré taught history and geography and invited his brighter students to informal discussions regarding colonialism, imperialism, the revolutions of Russia and China, communism, socialism, etc. It was Sankara’s first exposure to radical thought.
Military career in Antsirabe (Madagascar)
Furthering his military education, Sankara went to Antsirabe and studied not just military matters but also agriculture which later on in life would use in his governorship of Burkina Faso. He profusely read of history and military strategy in Madagascar. He also fought the border war between Upper Volta and Mali, for which he earned recognition and fame from the capital of Ouagadougou. Madagascar was also the place wherein he first read the political and radical works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin which influenced his later presidency. It was in the year 1976 when he became commander of the Commando Training Center in Po.
Relationship with Blaise Compaore
A brief introduction to Blaise Compaore, he was a military officer and an ex-President of Burkina Faso succeeding his long-time friend Thomas Sankara. When both of his parents died, he developed a closer relationship with Sankara’s family whose father Joseph developed a father-son relationship with him. Compaore developed a relatively good relationship with the family.
After the border conflict between Upper Volta and Mali; Sankara and Compaore were stationed at Morroco and met each other. The two would become close friends with each other and become musicians of the Tout-à-Coup Jazz band. Thomas Sankara played the guitar and his close friend and military colleague Blaise Compaore sang. The band and the jazz duo became moderately popular in Burkina Faso. When he became president, Sankara would compose the national anthem of Burkina Faso played by their jazz band. The duo would also play in the fields during his nationwide vaccination program.
However, their relationship would soon see its own demise when Compaore, who I personally believed was influenced by the French and Ivory Coast governments assassinated Sankara in a violent coup.
Considering Blaise Compaore's level of trust and the relationship that he developed with the Sankaras, it’s difficult to imagine where he would dare murder his own long-time colleague over power. In addition to that, considering that Compaore exerted heroic efforts in deposing Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo in 1983, freeing Thomas Sankara from his incarceration, it becomes even all the more difficult to imagine Compaore’s sudden betrayal of his close friend. I am suggesting that Sankara’s assassination was the result of Compaore being coerced or backed by the French government that hated his anti-imperialist foreign policies. (disclaimer: I am no expert in Burkina Faso's history)
Presidency
After some internal governmental disputes between Prime Minister Thomas Sankara and President Jean-Baptiste, the former upon orders was arrested which led to popular resentment and embitterment with his incarceration. The Blaise Compaore-led coup of 1983 against Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, freed Thomas Sankara from incarceration and ushered him into the presidency.
He was a notable pan-Africanist, a Marxist-Leninist, who had initiated pro-environmental initiatives, a unique type of feminism in Burkinese society, the repudiation of foreign debt, and international aid (leaving the IMF.) He also initiated the nationwide vaccination of 2.5 million Burkinabes to strengthen immunization from Meningitis, yellow fever, and measles. Moreover, he raised the literacy rates from 13% to a large margin of 73%. Since he is a pronounced Marxist-Leninist as he learned of such radicalism during his military studies in Madagascar, we can infer though not specifically stated by Wikipedia, that he initiated land reforms.
His domestic policies were popular with the mass Burkinabes except for the Mossi people, the largest indigenous ethnic group in the country whose position in political Burkina Faso was demoted by Thomas Sankara. Finally, adopting an anti-imperialist stance, he violently denounced the incumbent leader of France in his speech, deteriorating relations with the French and Ivory Coast governments.
During his first two-and-a-half years of rule, he managed to plant the country 10 million trees to combat further desertification in the Sahel region of Africa.
He lived an austere and humble political life whereby he reduced the salaries of government employees including his own. He ordered his picture-framed photos taken down reminiscent of Todor Zhivkov’s request of taking down erected monuments of him. He downgraded the cars used by government employees to a Renault 5, the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso.
CDRs and Popular Revolutionary Tribunals
Thomas Sankara set up Cuban-inspired CDRs or the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution, its primary purposes were counterbalancing the power of the army and encouraging political and social revolution. Since the Burkinabe CDRs were inspired by its immediate Cuban predecessor, the committees will serve as the “eyes and ears of the revolution”, just as how was described for the Cuban CDRs. Its primary task will be the reporting of the suspects of the counterrevolution.
According to Wikipedia:
“Some have viewed the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution far less benevolently, enacting thuggery rather than social revolution. It has been alleged that the CDRs were formed to intimidate and weaken the trade unions as well as other established interest groups. The Ugandan Catholic priest Emmanuel Katongole has written that the CDRs operated as “administrative tentacles and vigilante groups rather than incubators or exemplars of what a genuinely transformed new society might look like.” Others have described the CDRs as slowly falling into such activities rather than being formed for them, deteriorating from popular mass organizations into gangs of armed thugs which clashed with trade unionists.”
The Sankara-led government had also instituted the Popular Revolutionary Tribunals which are comparable to the revolutionary tribunals of the French Revolution. The instituted revolutionary tribunals would prosecute past government officials who engaged in corrupt activity, “lazy workers”, and supposed counterrevolutionaries perhaps reported by the CDRs, I infer. These Popular Revolutionary Tribunals were also accused of being mere show trials to demonstrate the legal consequences for transgressors of crimes, for the public.
Assassination
His assassination was led by his close friend, co-Jazz duo, and military colleague Blaise Compaore. Sankara was killed along with 12 other people who were murdered in the process. The successor would now lead Burkina Faso from that day forward up to 2014 when he would be forced to resign after facing the Burkina Faso 2014 uprisings. The uprisings of which were triggered by his attempts to amend the constitution for him to be able to run again. Compoare was recently sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Thomas Sankara.
