Original posting: 17th May 2014
This is my written story of comradeship, one which is summarised by late Dr John Garang’s quote, ‘stabbed the movement on the back.’ Perhaps this is with slight comparison to what is currently occurring in South Sudan. You are free to interpret it in any way you want to.
Blaise Compaoré is the serving president of Burkina Faso (Land of Upright Man).
His position didn’t come about with honesty, a ploliti(ri)cs comprising of dignity and fairness (theoretical democracy, because is democracy ever a practiced system, even in the deemed epitome of democracy, our ‘beloved’ and ‘hailed’ West?).
Compaoré was a comrade of Thomas Sankara, first president of Burkina Faso, the ‘African Che Guevera’, Thomas Sankara.
A Marxist and military president, Sankara, had a revolutionary plan extending beyond the borders of The Land of the Upright Men. He reiterated the importance of self-reliance and self-sustainability. Sankara also included women in the movement, famously stating that ‘women hold up the other half of the sky’.
The French disapproved of Sankara, from a distance (with combined silence and calculated moves), did what they always did and everywhere else; use trickery, treacherous behaviour to achieve their aims.
Compaoré was consumed by the need for power and the appealing offers from the French, while unconcerned with the rest of the nation or the vision for Africa by Sankara.
Compaoré orchestrated the killing of Sankara in a coup d’état, illustrating (perhaps truthfully) that Sankara’s rule of Burkina Faso, was affecting the nation’s relations with the French.
After his death, Compaoré (still in power today) returned Burkina Faso to puppet nation status; a lap dog to the French.
As I conclude the story, I recall a quote by Sankara, a quote unforgotten, a quote with much relevance today; ‘while revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill (their) ideas’.
This rings true with particular relevance to South Sudan, as Dr John Garang read on Sankara and recalled his words and his ideas…
While he himself has transitioned to ancestral realms, his ideas and his vision hasn’t died as many still try to recall his vision (much of which came from Sankara as well).
The moral of the story is, one who is your comrade today can be your enemy tomorrow.
A snake will always be a snake no matter how much you feed it and take care of it. One’s true nature will always come to the surface like a wild cat which can never truly be tamed.
Sisi Shares 