Today, the second day of February, 2013, I consider to publicly announce my just concluded Afrikanic baptism into a neo name. A neo name after my admirable military captain, dogged marxist revolutionary and ideological Pan-Afrikanist . . . The goal of this new name is to keep the memory of my mentor (Che Guevara Of Afrika), and to continuously acknowledge his tenacious revolutionary and ideologically based pan-Afrikan contribution!!! In keeping the memory and in remembrance to sustaining the legacy of Capt. Thomas Isidore Sankara, I hereby openly declare to my friends that I wish to, from henceforth, be addressed as *SANKARA*. I shall, very soon, change my facebook name from COMR PATRICK OSERIEMEN BENJAMIN to a new name that shall include the name SANKARA. Some of us may wish to ask; Who is this Capt. Thomas Isidore Sankara? He was a Burkinabe military captain, a marxist revolutionary, Pan-Afrikan theorist, and president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He was born in Yako, Burkina Faso on the 21st of Dec. 1949. He was a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution. No wonder, hes referred to as the Afrikas Che Guevara He came to power in 1983 through a coup de tat at the age of 33. His ultimate goal then was to eliminate corruption and the dominance of the former french colonial power. His foreign policies were centred on anti-imperialism, with his government eschewing all foreign aid, pushing for odious debt reduction, averting the power and the influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. His admirable revolutionary programs for Afrikan self-reliance and self-determination made me a disciple of him - and as a staunch disciple of Sankara, I count it worthwhile to continue in the promotion of his legacy. For me and other Pan-Afrikanists, old or young, Captain Thomas Isidore Sankara remains one of Afrikas illustrious Pan-Afrikan sons who must be remembered by a new generation of Afrikans. In the short span of his life before he was assassinated by his friend, Blaise Campore, with the support of neo-colonial forces, he changed his countrys name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso - meaning the land of upright people. Sankara spoke the truth to power in attacking the debt trap of Afrikan countries; He believed in economic self-reliance and food security for the Burkinabe people. On the 26th of March 1983, Capt. Thomas Isidore Sankara spoke to thousands at a rally in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. There, he asked; who are the enemies of the people? He declared; The enemies of the people here inside the country are all those who have illicitly taken advantage of their bureaucracy to enrich themselves. By means of bribery, manoeuvres, and forged documents. They have become shareholders in different companies. They ar that group of bourgeois who enrich themselves dishonestly, through fraud and bribery, through the corruption of state officials, so that they can bring all kinds of products into Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), increasing the price tenfold. They are the enemies of the people. Thomas Sankara, a staunch advocate of Afrikan unity. He was never an anti-humanist. But anti-oppressors. He was clear that in constructing Afrikan unity, it was not anti-other people in the world, because the Afrikan ethic espouse a genuine love of all humanity. Sankara, in his own word, at the Harriet Tubman school, he told the crowd; Our struggle is a call for building. But our building is not to build for blacks alone and against other men. As black people, we want to teach other people how to love each other. Capt. Thomas Isidore Sankara urged the crowd, so do I urge my Afrikan brothers and sisters; Dont ever be ashamed of being Afrikan!. Yes, it is not false that Captain Thomas Sankara was a feminist; dedicated to seeing the status of women in his country improve. Under his government, female genital mutilation, polygamy, forced marriages, and other practices that undermine the dignity of women were banned and discouraged. He became the first Afrikan head of state to elevate women to multiple top government positions, as well as recruiting them in the army. Captain Thomas Sankara sold off the govts fleet Mercedes vehicles, making the Renault 5, the cheapest car available in the country at that time, the official vehicle for his ministers. He reduced his own salary to $450 a month plus his personal possessions. He also banned the use of government chauffeurs and first class airline tickets bt his government officials. He encouraged the Burkinabe people to purchase garments produced by their fellpw countrymen. Thomas Sankara also refused air conditioning in his office, arguing that most of his fellow countrymen live without such luxuries. The great Sankara fell in the year 1987. Sankara left power the way he came, through a coup detait masterminded bý his former close ally, Blaise Compaore, who was backed by the French. Captain Thomas Isidore Sankara, the Che Guevara of Afrika. A charismatic Marxist revolutionary who was a thorn in the flesh of colonial powers. Surely, it was your outspokeness against imperialism that got you silenced. But it is a pity that your silencers were ignorant; They knew not that; While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas. Captain Thomas Isidore Sankara; Thou art gone, thy ideas live. Mayibuye l Afrika! Cde. Patrick Oseriemen Benjamin, Aka- Sankara! Member of the Liberated Minds Group, UNIBEN Chapter! Student of the dept. of Foreign Languages, University of Benin! Writes from the ancient city of Bini, Edo state!
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:25:55 +0000
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