Thomas Sankara Predicted the Birth of Ibrahim Traoré
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When Thomas Sankara was alive, he knew his life was in danger. His bold anti-imperialist policies and actions made him a target. He understood that one day, the imperialists—especially France—would seek to eliminate him.
Sankara rejected foreign aid from institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Instead, he chose self-reliance, making Burkina Faso food self-sufficient. He prioritized agriculture, turning the country into the breadbasket of the Sahel. He slashed the salaries of government officials, including his own, and lived modestly—earning only $450 a month and owning just a car, four bicycles, three guitars, a fridge, and a small house.
Before his assassination—a plot backed by France—Sankara had already foreseen that the struggle would continue beyond his death. He once said, “While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.”
Today, those words ring true. Though they killed Sankara, his ideas live on—reborn in the spirit and leadership of Ibrahim Traoré, who shares striking similarities with Sankara’s revolutionary vision and courage.
Indeed, they cannot kill ideas.
This is why, as a continent, we must embed African history and liberation thought into our school curricula. Our children must learn about the sacrifices of heroes and heroines like Sankara, Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, Amílcar Cabral, Gaddafi, Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Touré, and many others. We must teach them to carry forward the torch of economic, political, and spiritual liberation.
It's time to move from his-story to our-story. Only then will we truly emancipate the minds of Africa’s youth and secure real independence—not just on paper, but in practice.
Thomas Sankara Predicted the Birth of Ibrahim Traoré
__
When Thomas Sankara was alive, he knew his life was in danger. His bold anti-imperialist policies and actions made him a target. He understood that one day, the imperialists—especially France—would seek to eliminate him.
Sankara rejected foreign aid from institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Instead, he chose self-reliance, making Burkina Faso food self-sufficient. He prioritized agriculture, turning the country into the breadbasket of the Sahel. He slashed the salaries of government officials, including his own, and lived modestly—earning only $450 a month and owning just a car, four bicycles, three guitars, a fridge, and a small house.
Before his assassination—a plot backed by France—Sankara had already foreseen that the struggle would continue beyond his death. He once said, “While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.”
Today, those words ring true. Though they killed Sankara, his ideas live on—reborn in the spirit and leadership of Ibrahim Traoré, who shares striking similarities with Sankara’s revolutionary vision and courage.
Indeed, they cannot kill ideas.
This is why, as a continent, we must embed African history and liberation thought into our school curricula. Our children must learn about the sacrifices of heroes and heroines like Sankara, Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, Amílcar Cabral, Gaddafi, Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Touré, and many others. We must teach them to carry forward the torch of economic, political, and spiritual liberation.
It's time to move from his-story to our-story. Only then will we truly emancipate the minds of Africa’s youth and secure real independence—not just on paper, but in practice.
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