Thomas Sankara —
africasacountry.com
Thomas Sankara
The leader of the Burkinabe revolution was part of the group of African leaders who wanted to create a new socio-political dimension for Africa. He was the hope of many people but he was killed in a coup d’Etat organized by his colleague Blaise Compaore on October 15, 1987. Born in Yako, Upper Volta now Burkina Faso, on December 21, 1949, Sankara, trained as a pilot came to power at the age of 33 through a coup d’etat organized by the same Blaise Compaore on August 4, 1983. As president, he promoted the “Democratic and Popular Revolution” (RDP Revolution Democratique et Populaire). His government apart from targeting corruption, health and education, also created a platform for women. Sankara focused on raising the standards for women in the country to the extent that his government banned female circumcision, promoted contraception and condemned polygamy.
In 1984, a year after coming to power, Sankara renamed the country, Burkina Faso, meaning “the land of upright people” in Mossi and Dyula, the two major languages of the country. He also gave the country a new flag and wrote a new national anthem.
