By
Kingsley Kobo
 |
|
At the time of
his murder Sankara was just 37 and had ruled for four years [La Vie de Sankara
in Ouagadougou]
|
In
the weeks before violent protests, some Burkinabes' thoughts turned to slain
leader Thomas Sankara for inspiration.
Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso - In
the early hours of a night in 1987, one of Africa’s youngest leaders, Thomas
Sankara, was murdered and quietly and quickly buried in a shallow grave.
Now,
the man widely believed to be behind it, Burkina Faso's president, has
watched as his parliament was set ablaze by furious protesters who want him
gone.
Many
of the protesters say the history of the slain 1980s leader partly inspired
them to rise against Blaise Compaore, who has been in power for 27 years
and was trying, by a vote in parliament, for another five.
Though
some see Sankara as an autocrat who came to office by the power of the
gun, and who ignored basic human rights in pursuit of his ideals, in recent
years he has been cited as a revolutionary inspiration not only in Burkina Faso
but in other countries across Africa.
In
the weeks before the current deadly violence, Al Jazeera spoke to people in the
country's capital Ouagadougou and found many who predicted that Sankara’s
memory, and Compaore's attempt to seek another five-year term, may soon spark
an uprising.
At
the time of his assassination Sankara was just 37 and had ruled for only four
years.
But
his policies, and his vision, are still cherished both by some locals who were
around when he was in power and, significantly, by many young people who were
born since his death.
Sankara’s
killing was the the fifth coup since the nation won independence from France
and the main beneficiary was Compaore, who quickly took his place.
Until
that night, the two had often been referred to as best friends.
Although
there is less poverty now than back then, a growing number of Burkinabés had,
in recent years, started to feel that Sankara's nationalisation policies may
have made the perpetually arid nation a more prosperous and self-reliant place
than it is today.
"Sankara
wanted a thriving Burkina Faso, relying on local human and natural resources as
opposed to foreign aid," retired professor of economics, Noel Nébié, told
Al Jazeera.
"And
starting with agriculture, which represents more than 32 per cent of the
country's GDP and employs 80 percent of the working population, he smashed the
economic elite who controlled most of the arable land and granted access to
subsistence farmers.
"That
improved production making the country almost self-sufficient."
Naming
a nation
Initially
known as the Republic of Upper Volta, after the river, the country's name was
changed in 1984 to Burkina Faso, meaning land of the upright people, by
Sankara, and he soon made that name the symbol of his nationalisation crusade.
Some
say the fact he authored the country's name has kept his memory alive.
"When
you wake up in the morning and you remember you are a Burkinabe, you
automatically recall the person who thought up that local name and stamped it
on us," Ishmael Kaboré, a 47-year-old lawyer in Ouagadougou, told Al
Jazeera.
"At
first, people felt the name Burkina Faso was odd, awkward and far from the
modern and foreign names other countries were bearing in Africa.
"But
they realised after his death that Sankara wanted to give us a unique and
special identity that tells our history and depicts our character."
Sankara
was a determined pan-Africanist, whose foreign policies were largely centred on
anti-imperialism. His government spurned foreign aid and tried to stamp out the
influence of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in the country
by adopting debt reduction policies and nationalising all land and mineral
wealth.
Self-sufficiency
and land reform policies were designed to fight famine, a nationwide literacy
campaign was launched, and families were ordered to have their children
vaccinated.
"Some
families used to keep their children in hiding on the arrival of vaccinators
for religious or ritual reasons, and that practice was sabotaging our
efforts," Fatoumata Koulibaly, assistant campaign director at the
country's health ministry under Sankara, told Al Jazeera.
"But
when Sankara came he took a strong stand against it, which helped in the
vaccination of close to three million children against meningitis, yellow fever
and measles, etc."
Vaccination
has been common practice in Burkina Faso since then, she said.
Anger
bubbles up
Sankara
was often referred to as "Africa's Che Guevara" because he regularly
quoted, and said he drew inspiration from, the world famous revolutionary
leader. Sankara was also a good friend of former Ghanaian president, and fellow
revolutionary, Jerry Rawlings.
Even
for his most ardent of supporters it is impossible to know whether, if Sankara
had not been killed, life would have been better, and some argue that it would
not have.
But
many people spoken to by Al Jazeera believed things would be better today if he
was still alive, and that sentiment is partly responsible for Thursday's
events.
"Young
people who were not alive during Sankara’s administration are beginning to look
back more at that period because something is wrong in the country today,"
23-year-old University of Ouagadougou student, Ibrahim Sanogo, said.
"Sankara
was not just fighting imperialism for the sake of politics but he wanted the
Burkinabe people to develop themselves and their land and rely essentially on
themselves instead of the West.
"Today,
all the young graduates are dreaming to travel abroad to do odd jobs because of
lack of employment opportunities here."
Compaore,
though, has had some success. The mining industry has seen a boost in recent
years, with the copper, iron and manganese markets all improving. Gold
production shot up by 32 percent in 2011 at six gold mine sites, according to
figures from the Ministry of Mines, Quarries and Energy, making Burkina
Faso, the fourth-largest gold producer in Africa.
Growth
is running at seven percent. But per capita income stands at just $790, and
local people say the standard of living is very poor for most. Corruption and
elitism are a problem, they say, with any wealth only in the hands of the few.
"Those
World Bank and IMF figures are seen only on paper and not in the pockets of the
Burkinabes," Seydou Yabré, an independent rural development expert, told
Al Jazeera.
"Only
very few people are enjoying the wealth of the country. If you visit homes, or
travel to the hinterlands, you will experience an appalling level of
poverty."
Eerie
prediction
Perhaps
Sankara's anti-corruption campaign and exemplary modest lifestyle could
have forced wealth to trickle down if he had been left alive to lead, Yabré
thought.
"Sankara
was Africa’s most down-to-earth president then. He lived in a small, modest
house, rode a bicycle and had $350 in his account at the time of his
death," Yabré said.
"He
was also contested within his inner circle because he never wanted his army
colleagues to embezzle public funds and lead a flamboyant lifestyle."
Famously
- and eerily - just a week before his death, perhaps sensing what was to come,
Sankara said: "While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you
cannot kill ideas."
Burkina
Faso’s progress over the past 20 years was largely due to its stability, many
observers say, but, as was made clear when a crowd of the country's people
converged on the parliament intent on destruction, an anger left to fester can
take that away in an instant.
"Sankara
had many enemies because he wrested privileges from looters in favour of the
poor," Yabré said. "Maybe he did this too radically and within too
short a time."
Follow
Kingsley Kobo on Twitter: @KoboKingsley
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com
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