Thomas Sankara (1949–1987)

Thomas Sankara, the upright man, was a remarkable individual. A staunch anti-imperialist revolutionary who, in four years in power, has induced miraculous changes in Burkina Faso, one of the most downtrodden countries in the world. He carried out a radical land reform programme and succeeded in achieving self sufficiency in food. He nationalised all the mineral wealth of the nation. School attendance was doubled and the infant mortlaity rate was reduced in the first two years of his reign. He carried out a mass reforestration programme to combat the encroaching desert.

He wanted a thriving, self sufficient Burkina Faso and refused foriegn aid that only came with a lot of strings attached. He didn't shy away from introducing some draconian measures and acknowledged the excesses of the revolution. As he says, "You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.

Always standing up for human dignity and freedom, he always had great faith in people. Particularly the burkinabe people. He demanded great sacrifices from people by setting his own example of modest living. He was very similar to Che Guevara in this way. And both of them were true internationalists.

This book is a collection of his speeches and interviews.… (more)