A call to support the spirit of the Sahel, honouring Thomas Sankara

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar)

Date that lives in memory

October 15th, or, for some, the dawn of the 16th, remains etched in Africa’s collective conscience. It marks not merely a death, but the silencing of a revolutionary heartbeat: Thomas Sankara, the man who dared to reimagine what Africa could be.

For me, this date carries a personal echo. I once had the rare honour of meeting Sankara – young, bold, and radiant with conviction. I placed a scarf around his neck not as a mere ceremonial gesture, but as a symbolic act of allegiance to an idea, the belief that Africa must stand upright, unbowed, and self-reliant. And I did so, too, in honour of Fidel Castro, that other giant who stood, stubbornly and courageously, against the storms of imperialism.

Indeed, on 15 October 1987, Sankara was assassinated by troops led by Blaise Compaoré, who assumed leadership of the country shortly thereafter. Compaoré retained power until the 2014 Burkina Faso uprising. In 2021, he was formally charged by a military tribunal with the murder of Sankara and found guilty.

The legacy of a true African revolutionary

Thomas Sankara’s legacy defies confinement. It is not the story of one man or one nation; it is the spiritual awakening of an entire continent. As President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987, he did not merely govern; he redefined governance itself. He reimagined leadership not as a privilege, but as a service.

Sankara’s call was simple yet profound: “We must produce what we consume and consume what we produce.”

It was not just economic advice; it was a philosophy of liberation, a declaration that Africa’s salvation lies not in aid, but in authenticity, discipline, and self-belief. He challenged the parasitic relationships that chain the continent between ruler and ruled, between dependency and dignity, and between the colonised mind and the liberated spirit. He fought corruption not with slogans, but with example. He empowered women not through rhetoric, but with policies that dismantled patriarchy’s iron chains.

A life cut short, but a vision eternal

They silenced his voice, but not his vision. They buried his body, but his ideas rose from the earth like seeds of resistance scattered across the Sahel. Sankara’s dream of a free, united, and proud Africa continues to pulse in the veins of the young, in the defiance of the disillusioned, and in the awakening of a generation that refuses to be defined by dependency. His revolution was not only political; it was psychological – the emancipation of the African mind from the comfort of imitation and the chains of inferiority.

A quest for genuineness: the Sahel rising

Today, from the windswept plains of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, a new dawn rises – a dawn of reclamation, sovereignty, authenticity, and truth. These nations, once portrayed as fragile, are now forging their own path, rejecting the dictates of neo-colonial tutelage. They seek to define what it means to be African on their own terms. This is not rebellion; it is renaissance.

The Sahel’s cry is not for isolation but for respect for the right to dream without foreign interference, to build without imposed blueprints, and to think without permission.

The modern torchbearer Ibrahim Traoré

In this sacred struggle, Captain Ibrahim Traoré emerges as both heir and innovator. Like Sankara, he embodies the fusion of youthful courage and ideological clarity. Traoré speaks with the urgency of one who has seen the cost of complacency. He challenges the old order with Sankara’s fire but walks with his conviction that Africa must no longer ask to exist; it must assert its existence.

He is not merely a soldier in uniform; he is a guardian of a generational consciousness, a reminder that leadership is not inherited but earned through sacrifice and sincerity. In his words and deeds, we glimpse the return of Sankara’s spirit, disciplined, daring, and determined to make governance once again a sacred trust.

What does it mean to be a public administrator in Africa today?

But the question remains: what does it mean to serve the people in the spirit of Sankara and Traoré? To be a public administrator in Africa today is to stand at a crossroads between bureaucracy and service, between convenience and conscience, and between self-interest and sacrifice.

We must ask ourselves:

• Are we administrators of systems that exploit or custodians of values that liberate?

• Do we serve policies, or do we serve people?

• And above all, what kind of administrators do we need to transform Africa into a continent of opportunity for all?

The answer lies not in imported models or borrowed visions. It lies in the moral audacity to govern with truth, to manage with integrity, and to lead with humility. It lies in the courage to think and to act as Africans, accountable first and foremost to our people, not to external applause.

Our moral duty: standing with the Sahel

To stand with the Sahel is not merely to support a political shift; it is to affirm a moral principle that no people should be condemned to dependency. It is to recognise that the struggle of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger is Africa’s collective struggle for respect, dignity, and self-determination.

Let us, therefore, honour Sankara not with tears of nostalgia, but with acts of courage. Let us echo Traoré not with words of praise, but with policies of principle. Let us truly serve our people, with clean hands and fearless hearts. We are the bridge between the old and the new, ensuring that the fire of wisdom never dies as young leaders rise. Without this fire, new leadership can lack warmth, compassion, and guidance – the very things that hold a nation together. Let us accept that we haven’t been left out but have been chosen for another kind of leadership, the role of guardians of continuity, the guardians of values. And deep down, we know that our Founding Father Nujoma has done his part; let us accept our destiny, given to us by the elders. Once again, allow us to remind our readers of the ancient African wisdom of our elders when they saw two youngsters trying to cross a river with heavy currents that was overflowing. One of the youngsters was blind but could walk, and the other one couldn’t walk but could see, yet they didn’t want to help each other to cross the river. Similarly, there were these two youngsters who were wondering how to cross one of the mighty African rivers, but three elderly persons just crossed the river with ease. When the youngsters saw them, they decided to cross that river on their own without asking for help from the elderly people. Guess what? These youngsters were swept away by the strong current and were drowning in the river. The elderly people were standing on the other side of the river, shaking their heads and asking themselves, ‘Why didn’t these youngsters ask us where we put the stones during the dry season to cross the river?’

A revolution that lives on

As we commemorate the life and martyrdom of Thomas Sankara this month of October, let us remember that revolutions do not die; they evolve. They live in those who dare to think differently, to lead ethically, and to believe that Africa’s tomorrow will be written in the ink of authenticity and the courage of conviction. For this reason, we must not fail to plan and prepare for the future nor plan to fail the future generations but have a proper succession plan for the next generation of our future leaders! The PM, Dr Ngurare, and his deputy, Natangwe Ithete, plus the Minister of Information, Emma Theofelus, and the Governor of the Ohangwena region, Kadiva, are there, including our youngest parliamentarian, Fenny Tutjavi, and many others, not to mention also those on the other side of the aisle, such as Amupanda and others. The choice is clear. Do we plan for the future and a smooth transition and transformation, or will we allow for a street revolution and a rebellion? The choice is with the current African leadership.

Conclusion: The promise of an Africa true to itself 

If we, as Africans, dare to follow the path carved by our own role models to govern as Sankara governed, to lead as Traoré leads, and to serve as our ancestors envisioned, then Africa will rise not as an imitator, but as an innovator.

We will gain more than sovereignty; we will regain our soul. Our economies will no longer be shaped by dependency but by productivity and pride. Our institutions will reflect justice, not privilege. Our leaders will embody service, not self-interest. And our people, the true custodians of the continent’s destiny, will once again believe that Africa’s greatness lies within, not beyond, its borders. Our vision mirrors a continental trend of the struggle between the old guard and the rising young, dynamic and energetic youth as seen across Africa today. It seems to affirm that change is inevitable and that peace will depend on how gracefully the transition is managed.

In fact, it is as if our vision is calling for preparation, dialogue, and generational cooperation rather than confrontation. The revolution it warns of doesn’t have to be violent; it can be a revolution of mind-set, values, and leadership style, and that is the reason that we keep writing these articles – to open not only the eyes of our readers but our leaders as well. Let us not, as parents, divide the babies in two and let them wonder if they have to choose between their father and their mother. Let the adults sort out their own parental issues between grown-ups and not involve children in their fierce fights. How does a child choose between night and day, black and white, male and female, right and left? Should they now stand in the middle of the road as if throwing them under the bus, or should they have the love and affection from both parents? 

When we govern with African wisdom, discipline, and integrity, we reclaim the spirit colonialism tried to extinguish – the spirit of unity, courage, and creation. That is the Africa Sankara dreamed of. That is Africa, which the Sahel now fights to defend. And that is the Africa that will rise, not someday, but now if we choose to honour our own way of being, our own way of governing, and our own faith in ourselves. Africa will gain its freedom in full, not as a gift, but as a choice. Long live the spirit of Thomas Sankara. Long live the leadership of Ibrahim Traoré. Long live the revolution of integrity, dignity, and hope across the Sahel and the entire African continent. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of our employers and this newspaper but solely our personal views as citizens and Pan-Africanists.

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