Page 48 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13

Community

first leaders in the world to promote
women`s rights for genuine reasons.
“We must give a job to every woman
of this country. We must give every
woman the means to earn an honest
and decent living.”
“Our country produces enough to
feed us all. We can even produce
more than we need. Unfortunately
for lack of organization we still
need to beg for food aid. This type
of assistance is counter-productive
and has kept us thinking that we
can only be beggars who need aid.
We must put aside this type of aid
and succeed in producing more
because the one who feeds you usu-
A kitchenware market. Photo: Pixabay.com ally imposes his will on you. Let us
consume what we can control. Some
people ask me: But where is imperi-
hands and laid hundreds of kilo- his assassination his salary in 1987, alism? Just look into your plates; you
metres of railway track to facilitate was $450 a month and he owned see imported corn, rice or millet.
manganese extraction. This was not one car and four push bikes. This is imperialism. No need to look
done by forced labour at gunpoint, any further.
there were no bloodbaths under Sankara dissolved all other political
Sankara who did not believe in war parties, seen by him as representa- Of course, we encourage aid that
but instead, in ideas. Like Gamal tive of the colonial powers and open aids us in doing away with aid. But
Nasser of Egypt, Sankara got the to subversion, just as did Kwame in general welfare and aid policies
people of his country to prove to Nkrumah in Ghana. have only ended up disorganizing
themselves that they could achieve us; thus beguiling us and robbing us
anything they put their minds and This man was LOVED by his peo- of a sense of responsibility for our
hearts into. The previous govern- ple. In his attempt to raise the con- own economic, political and cul-
ment were brought before a tribunal sciousness of the people as a whole tural affairs. We choose to risk new
and asked to explain to the people and to do away with colonial and paths to achieve greater well-being.”
of the country why they had mis- long standing feudal practices within Thomas Sankara recognized the
appropriated so much money. This society he abolished all gender reg- pseudo-philanthropy, the humani-
was there only form of punishment ulation, making women the equals tarian effort for what it is in Africa
and public humiliation. This is on of men, appointing many to gov- today. That it is the same as “Debt
record. One of Sankara`s first acts ernment positions, allowing them is a cleverly managed re-conquest
as president was to slash his minis- to join the army which they did and of Africa”, which he said before the
ters` salaries, starting with his own. proved themselves the equals of OAU summit in 1987.In his enlight-
He sold the previous government`s male soldiers; and started a National ened understanding of economics,
fleet of mercs and replaced them Women’s Day on which all women he refused all but essential aid and
with little Renault 5s, which is what could stay at home and the men to encouraged instead for people to
he drove. This is a stark contrast take their places in going to market buy produce and products grown or
to the Kenyan governmental 2003 for the day`s groceries. Women manufactured within Burkina Faso.
purchase of $12 million worth of loved it! Great strides were taken to This policy for the domestic econo-
luxury cars. Sankara remained hum- speak openly against domestic vio- my`s revival ( which happens to be
ble and refused to allow his portrait lence and women`s traditionally sub- the exact opposite of all World Bank
to be displayed across the country, ordinate role. Thomas Sankara was economic policy) created in just 4
explaining that it was their revolu- the first leader in Africa to do this; years, a cotton growing, processing
tion and that “There are 7 million brave to say the least in an extremely and fabric industry that beautifully
Thomas Sankaras.” At the time of patriarchal culture, and one of the clothed the entire population as well

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