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Thomas Sankara
Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military officer, Marxist and Pan-Africanist revolutionary who, following his takeover in a coup, remained in power as the first President of Burkina Faso from 1983 until his assassination in 1987. He was also the 5th Prime Minister of Upper Volta from January to May 1983.
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politics · President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987 · politician · military officer · statesperson · soldier · minister · also Thomas Sankara, Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, Captain Thomas Sankara, Africa's Che Guevara, Sankara
Born 21 December 1949 · Died 15 October 1987 · Q202155
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2026· 2 entries
“In Burkina wood is our only source of energy. We have to constantly remind every individual of his duty to maintain and regenerate nature”
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2025· 1 entry
Sankara and those killed alongside him in the 1987 coup were reinterred in a mausoleum built on the site of the Conseil de l’Entente in Ouagadougou
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2023· 2 entries
The Africa Report: What do we take from Thomas Sankara?
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The government of Burkina Faso formally proclaimed Sankara as a "hero of the nation"
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2022· 1 entry
CounterPunch: The Trial of Thomas Sankara’s Killers
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2021· 3 entries
Moviefone: Thomas Sankara: The Upright Man - Where to Watch
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The Conversation: Now there’s a chance of justice for Thomas Sankara, it’s useful to review what got him killed
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Was formally charged by a military tribunal with the murder of Sankara and found guilty
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2020· 1 entry
The Africa Report: “Thomas Sankara had two faces” – Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
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2019· 1 entry
At the location in Ouagadougou where he was assassinated; however, due to complaints that it did not match his facial features, a new statue was unveiled a year later
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2017· 1 entry
The Burkina Faso government officially asked the French government to release military documents on the killing of Sankara after his widow accused France of masterminding his assassination
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1987· 5 entries
Died 1987-10-15.
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“We must choose between champagne for a few or drinking water for all.”
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“We must recognize today that it is normal for the wealthiest to be the greatest thieves. When a poor man steals it is merely a theft, a petty crime — it is solely about survival and necessity. The rich are the ones who steal from the treasury, customs duties, and who exploit the people.”
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“Opis: przydomek Sankary, który zyskał dzięki podobieństwu w wyglądzie, sposobie zachowania i wyznawanych idei.”
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“Capitalism is the arsonist of our forests.”
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1986· 2 entries
All restrictions on contraception were removed
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Nearly 2,500 teachers were fired due to a strike, prompting the government to invite anyone with a college degree to teach through the revolutionary teachers' program
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1984· 3 entries
Awarded Order of José Martí (1984).
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Sankara oversaw the renaming of the country as Burkina Faso ('land of the upright people'), and personally wrote its national anthem
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Seven individuals associated with the previous régime in Burkina Faso were accused of treason and executed after a summary trial
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1983· 4 entries
Career landmark: President of Burkina Faso (1983–1987).
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Had political disputes with the sitting government that resulted in his eventual imprisonment
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Career landmark: Prime Minister of Burkina Faso (1983–1983).
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Through the popular revolution, the National Union of African Teachers of Upper Volta (SNEAHV) called Sankara and his government fascist and called upon workers to be ready to fight for their freedom
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1976· 1 entry
Became commander of the Commando Training Centre in Pô
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1972· 1 entry
Fought in a border war between Upper Volta and Mali by 1974
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1971· 1 entry
And 1972 against the government of Philibert Tsiranana
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1970· 1 entry
20-year-old Sankara went for further military studies at the military academy of Antsirabe in Madagascar, from which he graduated as a junior officer in 1973
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1966· 1 entry
Sankara began his military career at the age of 19
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1949· 1 entry
Born 1949-12-21.
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