On October 15, 1987 the black world lost one of its best sons. On this date, the white world used the hand of one of us to assassinate Thomas Sankara. Blaise Campaore allowed himself to be a traitor of black liberation by giving effect to a white conspiracy to murder Sankara. But as the people’s leader said one week before he was killed, “[w]hile revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas”.
Black First Land First(BLF) believes in and is inspired by a Sankarist leadership practice. Sankara taught us that it is possible to resist the temptation of using political office to serve oneself before serving the people. Sankara went into the highest office in Burkina Faso when he became President, but he didn’t use it to enrich himself.
We learn from Thomas Sankara that the leaders of the people must not live lifestyles which are parasitic on the people. A leader of the poor shouldn’t live luxuriously while the people suffer. The love for bling and brands by leaders is counter the spirit of Sankara. Let the people be served first!
In the few years that Sankara was in power, he turned his country into a model society of self reliance. He stopped privileges for leaders and made women liberation a reality. He was anti imperialist and called on Africa to free itself from the yoke of Western imperialism. His message and example inspired the youth all over the world. Imperialism panicked and conspired with Campaore to murder Sankara. They were too late because Sankara lives on via his revolutionary legacy.
BLF declares this month “Sankara Month” and calls upon the youth of our country to take time to honour and educate itself about who Thomas Sankara was. The most basic lesson that Sankara teaches us is that “a solider without political education is a potential criminal”. BLF shall be hosting public screenings of the documentary, “Thomas Sankara: the Upright Man” followed by discussions as well as public education on Thomas Sankara, The Sankara Oath and the People’s Manifesto.
Thomas Sankara lives!
Issued by the National Coordinating Committee of Black First Land First
15 October 2016
Contact Details
Black First Land First Mail:[email protected]
Zanele Lwana
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 486 9087
Mail: [email protected]
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Mail: [email protected]