A French MP has called for an official inquiry into France’s role in the assassination of leftist icon Thomas Sankara, who was the president of Burkina Faso at the time. Sankara, often called “Africa’s Che Guevara”, headed a popular socialist revolution but was killed, many allege, thanks to the secret services of the United States and France.
Sankara’s reforms included nationalization of natural resources, refusal of foreign aid, debt repudiation, feminist legislation, environmental protection, land redistribution and he even declared the year of 1985 to be rent-free.
With the Cold War still being fought, such leftist reforms drew immediate retaliation. France has yet to acknowledge its role, and many expect such resistance to continue.
Even though the French press has largely ignored the call for a parliamentary inquiry, Sankara’s legacy as an anti-imperialist and socialist visionary remains immense.
For Burkina Faso, Sankara’s revolution died with him. France immediately recognized the coup of Blaise Compaore, who has held power ever since. Sankara’s policies were reversed, and Burkina Faso has become one of the world’s poorest and least-developed nations.
As French bombs fall in Mali, the death of Thomas Sankara is especially relevant. If France is responsible, few would say that life in Burkina Faso has improved thanks to the use of force, instead of diplomacy and cooperation.
-
mathewandres likes this
-
artgroupie likes this
-
peaceshine3 reblogged this from fyeahthomassankara
-
peaceshine3 likes this
-
rasdivine reblogged this from chavista
-
lastrefugeoftheunimaginative reblogged this from chavista
-
daftmongrel likes this
-
quiet--soul reblogged this from chavista
-
introvertedart reblogged this from silas216
-
introvertedart likes this
-
walaw717 likes this
-
dendroica likes this
-
silas216 reblogged this from bohemianarthouse
-
silas216 likes this
-
madtraveler reblogged this from randomactsofchaos
-
madtraveler likes this
-
mochente reblogged this from fuckyeahmarxismleninism
-
xixicascle likes this
-
occupyv reblogged this from chavista
-
soporificism reblogged this from randomactsofchaos
-
readinglist32 reblogged this from fsufeministalumna
-
fsufeministalumna reblogged this from fuckyeahmarxismleninism
-
thepoisonedivey likes this
-
tailpipe likes this
-
sommerrr reblogged this from occupiedmuslim
-
sommerrr likes this
-
covenesque likes this
-
birds-inthe-sycamoretree likes this
-
lazy-native reblogged this from occupiedmuslim
-
bohemianarthouse reblogged this from randomactsofchaos
-
bohemianarthouse likes this
-
spikeleigh reblogged this from occupiedmuslim
-
mayathestrange likes this
-
spikeleigh likes this
-
occupiedmuslim reblogged this from randomactsofchaos
-
randomactsofchaos reblogged this from amodernmanifesto
-
randomactsofchaos likes this
-
iggymogo likes this
-
justanotherwastedyouth reblogged this from amodernmanifesto
-
fullcommunist likes this
-
amodernmanifesto reblogged this from upst8ofmind
-
kenema247 reblogged this from fyeahthomassankara
-
crochetadventures likes this
-
akiey likes this
-
astec reblogged this from fyeahthomassankara and added:
Nothing will be done anyway..
-
astec likes this
-
upst8ofmind reblogged this from fyeahthomassankara
-
rosaflora likes this
-
jackshitzero likes this
- Show more notes