Commemorating Sankara's Life

Burkina Faso’s Pan-African president and national hero Thomas Sankara was assassinated on this day in 1987 in the capital Ouagadougou. A hit squad also killed 12 of his comrades.

In 2015, their bodies were exhumed by investigators looking into the killings. They were given a proper burial last year by Burkina Faso under the leadership of a man many see as Sankara’s successor, Ibrahim Traoré. This clip revisits the ceremony and includes comment from Sankara’s uncle about its significance.

Thomas Sankara came to power in a coup in 1983, and his pro-people policies endeared him to the nation. He understood that Africa's problems were a result of systemic issues, such as debt. In an address to the Organisation of African Unity in 1987, he argued passionately for defaulting on international loans - but also made clear that solidarity was key. Presciently, he warned that, should he go it alone, he wouldn't be alive for the next meeting. His dark prophecy came to pass two months later.

In the four years he was in power, however, he did a lot for Burkina Faso. Before climate change was at the forefront of everybody’s minds, Sankara embarked on an afforestation campaign at the grassroots level, with villages made responsible for the development of seedlings.

He shunned the likes of the IMF, and drew on indigenous resources for the development of things like infrastructure.

He understood the integral role played by women, and famously said, “The revolution and women’s liberation go together. We do not talk of women’s emancipation as an act of charity or out of a surge of human compassion. It is a basic necessity for the revolution to triumph.”

Sankara led a modest lifestyle. One of his initiatives was to replace the government's expensive and luxurious fleet of Mercedes Benz cars with cheap and economical Renault 5s.

His incredible journey was cut short by the man he called his brother - Blaise Compaoré - who was sentenced in absentia to life in 2022 for complicity in the 1987 assassination plot.

Sankara’s legacy lives on. Not only did Burkina Faso’s new government give him a proper burial, it’s also planning to rename a major city artery Boulevard Thomas Sankara (from Boulevard Charles de Gaulle - a fitting symbolism).

Rest in power, our revolutionary ancestor!