Excerpt from Thomas Sankara: brief portrait of a little-known leader
Basically, Thomas Sankara’s only motivation was a formidable desire to
make his country progress, to put it back on the map, improve the living
conditions of the poor and give his people back their dignity. He and
his comrades endeavoured to put in place original policies, within the
political context of the time, which would enable them to attain their
objectives. What were they?
- First of all, to stop relying solely on foreign aid, even if it still remained necessary, find out what could be achieved immediately, and explore the country’s potential to the fullest.
- To take advantage of international inconsistencies in order to obtain aid at the best price, no matter the source, and see to it that aid itself would finally contribute to eliminating aid, as the Burkinabe revolutionaries liked to say.
- To affirm independence, siding firmly with the anti-imperialist camp and, within the framework of international bodies, help poor countries to organize, to unite and to adopt a stance in order to effectively defend their interests against the rich countries.
- To mobilise the people by matching words with deeds, by offering an inspiring project, fighting corruption, and developing education and training.
- To foster a spirit of enterprise among the farmers, the country’s main producers of wealth, by giving them their rightful place in the political life of the country and by trying to give them a fair price for their labour.
- To try to promote a planned national economy by developing local production and processing.
- To rely on the public sector, without nationalising it, while establishing standards and rules for private sector activity in order better to control the country’s economy and have the means to apply independent policies; and to rely on the workers to better control their management.
- To develop productive forces, firmly opposing anything that would stand in the way, backwards mentalities in particular, without upsetting the social organisation of the villages.
- To invent new forms of democracy that would better correspond to the circumstances of the population and be more progressive than representative democracy.
He partly succeeded, and that is what history will record. As the ninth anniversary of his death draws near, it is time to set the record straight and reaffirm certain truths.
*Bruno Jaffré
*This article was published in 1996 in the now-defunct Malian newspaper ‘Yelema.’ Translated from French for Pambazuka News by Julia Monod.
- First of all, to stop relying solely on foreign aid, even if it still remained necessary, find out what could be achieved immediately, and explore the country’s potential to the fullest.
- To take advantage of international inconsistencies in order to obtain aid at the best price, no matter the source, and see to it that aid itself would finally contribute to eliminating aid, as the Burkinabe revolutionaries liked to say.
- To affirm independence, siding firmly with the anti-imperialist camp and, within the framework of international bodies, help poor countries to organize, to unite and to adopt a stance in order to effectively defend their interests against the rich countries.
- To mobilise the people by matching words with deeds, by offering an inspiring project, fighting corruption, and developing education and training.
- To foster a spirit of enterprise among the farmers, the country’s main producers of wealth, by giving them their rightful place in the political life of the country and by trying to give them a fair price for their labour.
- To try to promote a planned national economy by developing local production and processing.
- To rely on the public sector, without nationalising it, while establishing standards and rules for private sector activity in order better to control the country’s economy and have the means to apply independent policies; and to rely on the workers to better control their management.
- To develop productive forces, firmly opposing anything that would stand in the way, backwards mentalities in particular, without upsetting the social organisation of the villages.
- To invent new forms of democracy that would better correspond to the circumstances of the population and be more progressive than representative democracy.
He partly succeeded, and that is what history will record. As the ninth anniversary of his death draws near, it is time to set the record straight and reaffirm certain truths.
*Bruno Jaffré
*This article was published in 1996 in the now-defunct Malian newspaper ‘Yelema.’ Translated from French for Pambazuka News by Julia Monod.
This is really great synopsis of this most under-appreciated of World changers!
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