The legacies of Thomas Sankara: a revolutionary experience in retrospect

Ernest Harsch

Review of African Political Economy, 2013, vol. 40, issue 137, 358-374

Abstract: A quarter century after the 15 October 1987 assassination of Thomas Sankara in a military coup, the late president of Burkina Faso remains a near-mythical hero for many young people in his country and across Africa. They idealise the image of a committed, self-sacrificing rebel, who during four years as leader of a small, impoverished Sahelian nation sought to improve the lives of ordinary people while at the same time projecting the country onto the international arena. Why has popular interest in Sankara persisted for so long, despite the collapse of his short-lived revolutionary venture? How is it that each anniversary of his death draws hundreds, if not thousands, to commemorations at his gravesite? This article offers some retrospective reflections and re-examines those features of Sankara's revolutionary era that still resonate with many citizens today, as well as those that have been left behind. [Héritage de Thomas Sankara ; retour sur une expérience révolutionnaire.] Un quart de siècle après l'assassinat de Thomas Sankara le 15 octobre 1987 lors d'un coup d'état militaire, cet ancien président du Burkina Faso demeure un héro quasi mythique pour de nombreux jeunes dans son pays et à travers l'Afrique. Ils idéalisent l'image d'un rebelle engagé, plein d'abnégation, qui a cherché, pendant quatre ans à la tête d'une petite nation sahélienne pauvre, à améliorer le sort de gens ordinaires tout en projetant le pays sur la scène internationale. Pourquoi l'intérêt populaire pour Sankara a-t-il perduré si longtemps, malgré l'échec de son entreprise révolutionnaire de courte durée? Comment se fait-il que chaque anniversaire de sa mort amène des centaines, voire des milliers de personnes à venir sur sa tombe en commémoration. Cet article offre des réflexions rétrospectives et réexamine les caractéristiques de l'ère révolutionnaire de Sankara qui fait toujours sens pour de nombreux citoyens, comme pour les laissés pour compte. Mots-clés : Sankara ; Burkina Faso ; révolution ; mobilisation ; développement

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1080/03056244.2013.816947

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