Page 50 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13

Community

so we should not pay it. The debt,
moreover, is linked to the machinery Our country produces
of neo-colonialism, the colonizers
became technical assistants, I would enough to feed us all. We
call them technical assassins, and can even produce more
they suggested, recommended to than we need. Unfortu-
us the financiers, they told us about
the financial advantages. That is why nately for lack of organi-
we indebted ourselves for decades zation we still need to beg
and renounced the satisfaction for food aid. This type of
of our people`s needs. In today`s
shape, controlled and dominated assistance is counter-pro-
by imperialism, the foreign debt ductive and has kept us
is a well-organized tool of colo- thinking that we can only
nial re-conquest: in order to make
the African economy a slave of be beggars who need aid.
those who were so clever as to give
us capital with the obligation of
reimbursing them. We are asked to
reimburse our debt. But if we do corporations, refused to hear him
not pay, the capital lenders will not and just as he knew would happen
die, if we pay, we will die. We cannot if they did not back him in unison,
pay, and we don`t want to pay. We Sankara was not present at the fol-
are not responsible for the debt bur- lowing year`s OAU summit.
den. We have already paid a lot of
the debt. We are asked to co-operate Back in Burkina Faso with French
in researching balance mechanisms, Intelligence and the Foccart busi-
balance in favour of those who own ness network behind them, Blaise
the financial institutions and use Compaore began agitating, telling
the power against the peoples. We people that Sankara was holding
cannot be accomplices. back from them the prosperity on
The Paris Club is there, let`s create offer. Compaore and his top military
the Addis Ababa Club for cancelling men assassinated Thomas Sankara
our foreign debt. Our Club should on the 15 October 1987.
say-our debt will not be paid. Don`t
think it is a proposal made only by “In a way, great men enlighten
young people like us. Mrs Brunt- people, enlighten their time long
land said African countries cannot after they`ve gone; and I say after
pay, as did Mr Mitterrand and Fidel their death because its when you`ve
Castro…we should explain in other lost something that you become
conferences that we cannot pay. We aware of its true value. Sankara has
must be united, otherwise, individ- become a moral and spiritual refer-
ually we will be murdered. Avoiding ence for us all.” Source: Jean-Hu-
debt repayment is a condition which bert Bazie from Robin Shuffield`s
will allow us to free resources for documentary.
our development.”
Source: Asad Ismi, `Impoverishing a Main Source: documentary on You-
Continent: The World Bank and the Tube, a film by Robin Shuffield,
IMF in Africa`,2004, pdf. `Thomas Sankara, The Up-
right Man`
The assembled “open unpatriotic
sons of Africa”, bought and paid
for by foreign powers and their

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