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During his relatively short reign, Thomas Sankara managed to carry out an incredible number of reforms in the country, which significantly improved the lives of ordinary Burkinabe people.

For example, newborn mortality fell by almost half, the literacy rate increased from 13% to 73%, and the World Bank acknowledged that corruption in the country had been defeated three years after Sankara came to power.

As Burkina Faso plans to build a memorial mausoleum in his memory, Sputnik Africa has decided to look back on the Sankara’s great achievements.

At the time of independence (August 5, 1960), Upper Volta was one of the least economically developed French colonies in Africa, according to Russian senior research fellow Andrey Demidov.
The country was characterized by an arid climate, progressive desertification of agricultural lands, acute water shortages, and the colonial metropolis — France — invested few resources in the development of this country due to its low strategic importance. However, decolonization did not bring economic progress or political stability to Upper Volta.
This was the case until 33-year-old Thomas Sankara came to power.

At the age of 20, Thomas went to study in Madagascar. By coincidence, he arrived during a period of student riots, protests and demonstrations against the authoritarian regime of President Philibert Tsiranana. The active citizenship of the locals made a deep impression on Sankara, Demidov wrote. His radical leftist views were ultimately shaped by the works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

On August 4, 1983, yet another military coup took place in Upper Volta, organized by Thomas Sankara’s friend, Captain Blaise Compaore. As a result, Sankara became the chairman of the new highest authority — the National Council for the Revolution (NCR).

After coming to power, Sankara began to implement a broad program of socio-economic reforms. His role model and source of inspiration was the Cuban Revolution. From the very beginning of his rule, Sankara made it clear that he considered social justice and economic development of the country as the highest values.
Sputnik Africa tried to recall the main (apparently, not all) transformations that took place in the African country during the reign of the revolutionary leader.

Anti-Colonial Struggle

At the summit of the Organization of African Unity in 1987, Sankara called on African countries to collectively refuse the repayment of debts contracted with Western powers. Moreover, he was highly critical of international financial institutions, pointing out that their activities in Africa were neocolonialist in nature, and only led to economic enslavement and aggravated the backwardness of the African countries.

State’s Integrity and Fight Against Corruption
Sankara implemented measures to simplify the lives of government officials, advocated for austerity and practicality. He urged his ministers to opt for cost-effective transportation, such as the Renault 5, over luxury cars. Additionally, he reduced officials’ salaries, prohibited personal drivers, and restricted travel to economy class for both himself and his subordinates on international flights. Sankara also promoted the use of locally-made clothing from Burkinabe craftsmen, encouraging civil servants to wear garments crafted from local cotton. Once a year, all high-ranking civil servants were required to contribute one month’s salary to social funds. Remarkably, just three years after Sankara came to power, the World Bank declared that corruption had been eradicated in Burkina Faso.

Environmental Protection

During Sankara’s presidency, about 7,000 tree nurseries were created in the country, about 10 million trees were planted, which ultimately helped slow down the desertification process. Along with this, the country launched a campaign to build wells, dams and reservoirs. The measures taken made it possible to improve the water supply in villages and increase the efficiency of Burkinabe agriculture.

Moreover, since April 1985, on the Sankara’s personal instructions, a campaign called “Three Struggles” was launched. It included: 1) stopping illegal logging and bush burning that caused wildfires; 2) increasing knowledge in the field of natural gas use; 3) stopping the hunting of wild animals.