Thomas Sankara
Sankara Lives On
allAfrica.com: Africa: Sankara Lives On
Pasamba Jow
23 October 2011
U.S. — If the bullets that cut down his life were meant to silence him and to undermine his admiring legacy, then they failed miserably. Twenty fours after his cowardly assassination by Blaise Campaore and his thuggish soldiers, Thomas Sankara’s life and legacy are still being celebrated around the world.
On October 15, 2011 Africans and Pan-Africanists gathered in Washington DC to commemorate the untimely demise of Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso at the hands of forces loyal to his former close friend and current president, Blaise Campoare. Speaker after speaker extolled Sankara’s vast contribution in fighting against imperialism and Africa’s dependence on foreign loans, etc.
The program included the showing of “Sankara: The upright Man” which gave a vivid and unbiased assessment of Sankara’s four-year rule. In it the audience saw a dynamic and articulate young president who led by example. Unlike many young so-called revolutionary leaders in Africa today who usurped power to enrich themselves at the expense of the people, Sankara lived a very humble lifestyle, who shunned personal wealth and prestige – he rode a modest Peugeot 405 as his official car and earned a captain’s salary.
The most striking moment of the movie was when Sankara addressed the 1987 OAU meeting in Addis Ababa where he appealed to his colleagues to take a unified stance against paying back loans taken and instead use that money for the betterment of their people. He went on to proudly tell the gathering that the outfits of the Burkina Faso delegation were all made in Burkina that “not a single thread came from Europe or the USA”.
As the narrator delved into the horrific nature of Sankara’s assassination, all eyes were fixed on his two sons, Philippe and Auguste who impassively sat in the audience capturing every word of the narrator leaving wondering minds to speculate on what they were feeling or thinking.
Asked what it was like hearing people talk so highly of their father, Philippe , who was seven when his father died, answered: “It is strange in a good way, because it seems people know more about our father than we do.” On whether they have any political ambitions, Auguste, who was just four when his father died, quickly stated: “We would want to chart our own path,” but Philippe added, “You can never say never.” Asked what would he say to Campoare if he ever had the chance to meet him? Auguste calmly said, “I have no ill will towards him because he will be judged by God for his actions, but I would simply want to know how he sleeps at night after betraying his friend.”
The Gathering was chaired by Paul Sankara while the vote of thanks was delivered by Patrick Sankara, both of whom are brothers of Thomas Sankara. Others present included Pauline and Lydie Sankara, sisters to Thomas Sankara.
Plans are ready afoot for an elaborate event to mark the 25 anniversary of his assassination.