Sankara Knew That Going To The International Monetary Fund Was Slavery, And For That, He Was Hated

Thomas Sankara seemed to have experienced a lot of suffering from his early years through his adult years. He opted to command the military in Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, for several reasons. Rather than pursuing a life of luxury, the goal was to make life better for typical Burkinabes. But why would a leader of a developing African country refuse to go to the International Monetary Fund, sell his government plane, commute to work and home on a bicycle, and utilize the money raised to prevent his country from relying on foreign aid?

It has been 34 years since this youthful, daring, and dynamic African leader changed the name of his nation, which the French colonialists had given it. He also reduced illiteracy and child mortality, while millions of Africans living in poverty looked up to him because of the few examples he set. He did, however, become a target of anger and hostility among the powerful and tribal leaders, whose arbitrariness and privileges he severely limited and paid a bitter price for it.

He stated: "The foundation of our revolution in Burkina Faso is the totality of human experience since its inception. We aspire to be the inheritors of all global revolutions and "Third World" peoples' liberation movements. The American Revolution taught us many lessons. We learned about human rights during the French Revolution. The Paris Commune's vision of justice was finally realized thanks to the proletariat's victory in the Great October Revolution."

Contrary to many African presidents who valued collecting riches, Thomas Sankara's personal property was only an old Peugeot automobile that he had bought before gaining power, a broken refrigerator, three guitars, and four bicycles when he was assassinated. He didn't want to appear to be enjoying a life of luxury in front of people who couldn't afford such luxuries, so he asked that air conditioning not be installed in his office.

When Thomas Sankara was killed, it was discovered that all of his personal property consisted of an old Peugeot car that he had purchased before assuming power, a broken refrigerator, three guitars, and four bicycles, in contrast to many African leaders who prioritized accumulating wealth. To avoid looking impoverished in front of others who can't afford such pleasures, he requested that air conditioning not be installed in his office.

Additionally, he forbade the displaying of his photograph in public spaces, stating that "there are seven million people in our country just like me." The whole fleet of ministerial vehicles, all Mercedes, was sold, and in their place, the ministers were given access to Renault 5, which were then the least expensive vehicles. Sankara forbade the use of private drivers and first-class airfare by government employees.

Although there is a lot that is unknown about this young soldier who passed away at a young age, there has been a lot said and written about him. Sankara urged African nations to reduce their debt obligations to the IMF and other Western financial institutions. "Debt is a cunning strategy to retake Africa, he claimed, turning each of us into debt slaves," he said.

"We just lack the resources necessary to pay our bills, hence we are unable to do so. And because they are not our obligations, we are unable to pay these debts. "If Burkina Faso alone refuses to pay its obligations - then I will not be at the next inter-African meeting," Sankara urged African leaders. That is precisely what took place. An assassin killed him.

"Since we have been freed from the grip of colonialism, it makes no sense for African leaders to enter into financial agreements that would relegate Africans to the oppressive confines of foreign rule," he said. After all, those who feed you are the ones who tell you what to do. The late Sankara avoided doing this. That means to him, going to the IMF is slavery and another method to stop rapid progress in Africa.

Even though Sankara was well-liked throughout Africa, foreign powers, particularly France, the young African leader's former occupiers, didn't agree with his worldview. This demonstrates that the bailouts provided by the International Monetary Fund to African nations are not an indication of their love or acceptance of you, but rather a strategy for subjugating people into servitude.

Sankara was a leader who, if he had desired to be corrupt, probably would have followed other African presidents in doing so, but he didn't. His modest way of living includes eating and wearing inexpensive clothing made of cotton that is sourced locally. Defining imperialism he made a straightforward explanation; "What is on your plates, when you look at them? Your dishes are filled with imported millet, imported rice, and imported flour; this is imperialism."

"The most crucial element of his agenda was establishing his food and clothing production in the nation, liberating them from reliance on foreign aid. Let's limit our consumption to what we can manage, he suggested. The truth is that any African leader with such plans to establish an African nation independent will never find favor with the West or the US government. You will now have a clear grasp of why Kaddafi was slain and Kwame Nkrumah was deposed.

We all have enemies, whether we are aware of them or not, but we frequently forget that a man's opponents are always members of his own family. Similar to Kwame Nkrumah, Sankara's assassination was the result of a coup organized by an outside force. His own buddy, Blaise Campaore, participated in the coup that resulted in the shooting of Sankara with more than a dozen rounds from Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, and G3 automatic guns.

According to a recent story I read, Félix Houphouet-Boigny, the former president of the Ivory Coast, was envious of the young soldier's bravery and ideas, which caused him to criticize him just before he was killed. Blaise Campaore remarked about his passing, "He offered the people nothing but hard, laborious labor, a dull existence in seclusion from the rest of the world, and abhorrent equality. I accepted full responsibility for what occurred, and I don't have anything to be ashamed of. Our children's children will judge us.

In just two years of his administration, the International Monetary Fund, which detested him bitterly, said that he had effectively beaten corruption in a nation where it was power by another name. He also planted 10 million trees over the course of three years, to halt the spread of the Sahara, and established free healthcare and education for kids.