 Prior to this time, when you talk about the top guns in Africa, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt are the ones that are mentioned because of their large economy, population and general status in the international community. No one talks about Burkina Faso except to mention that it is one of the poorest countries in the Sahel region where there is no water, no electricity and school children do not go to school. And they would have been correct. You see, Nigeria may have been called the giant of Africa for decades, but at one point in history before October 15, 1987, Burkina Faso would have certainly taken that position in Africa and it's not because they had a large population like Nigeria. No, it's simply because of one man who dared to be different, Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary hero of Burkina Faso. This man came into power through a coup and stayed for just four years until he was assassinated by his closest friend, Blaise Comper, together with France. But in those four years, this man was able to transform Burkina Faso from a country scarred by the ravages of French colonialism and dependent on foreign aid to one that was self-sufficient at the time. He was at the forefront of women's liberation and paved the path for female entry into government positions. He initiated a nationwide illiteracy campaign, planted trees to curb desertification and vaccinated millions of children against meningitis, yellow fever and measles. He built roads and a railway to tie the nation together, all without foreign aid, and encouraged Francophone Africa not to pay any colonial debt to France. He was set on making Burkina Faso a force to be reckoned with in Africa, but unfortunately, all his plans were cut short after he was assassinated and his so-called friend, Blaise Comper, took over the helm of power in Burkina Faso. The reversal of all the changes that occurred during Sankara's time was instantaneous. Comper who would go on to rule Burkina Faso for the next 27 years and set about undoing the progress achieved by the Sankara Revolution. Nationalized state entities were privatized and Burkina Faso was re-delivered into the clutches of the IMF, making the country go back to dependency on foreign powers, something that Sankara had successfully eliminated. What a shame. The annoying thing was that it wasn't just enough to kill Sankara and his works, the people behind it decided to defame his name, calling Sankara a messianic traitor. However, only a few people believe these allegations because Sankara's life was obvious for all to see. There is no doubt that if Sankara had not been killed, Burkina Faso would have grown to become the real giant of Africa. However, with the death of Sankara, Burkina Faso's glimpse of a bright future was cut and the country descended into what it used to be described as one of the poorest countries in the Sahel plagued by the resource curse. In fact, the BBC once described the country as a poor country, even by West African standards. Corruption, which Sankara had tried to eliminate, became the order of the day and compare went ahead to form tight bonds with the old colonial oppressor, France. France went on to have strongholds in the country, assuming neocolonial master status. Poverty, unemployment, bad infrastructure, and a lack of basic social amenities such as good drinking water became the norm. The people were angry and frustrated. There was tension everywhere, as the standard of living was very high. Throughout Compare's time as president, he didn't do anything despite all his promises. And so, when Compare, who had ruled for 27 years, decided to change the constitution to allow him to rule for a fifth term in 2014, the people of Burkina Faso decided to stand up and say no. Hundreds of thousands of Burkina bees took to the streets to protest against his decision. As a result, Compare was forced to resign, abandon the luxurious trappings of the presidential palace, and flee for safety as his regime collapsed. He fled to Ivory Coast, where he remained in exile until 2022, when he stepped foot for the first time in Burkina Faso after being invited to a meeting with the interim president of Burkina Faso, President Paul-Henry Demeber. While still in Ivory Coast, he was sentenced in absentia in April 2021 for his involvement in the assassination of Thomas Sankara. After Compare fled the country in 2014, former Prime Minister and National Assembly President Rock Mark Christian Cabour was elected his successor the following year. It was from this time that Burkina Faso began to suffer terrorist attacks by armed groups affiliated with Al Qaeda or ISIS. By 2018, the attacks had intensified so much that a state of emergency was declared in several provinces at the end of the year. By this time, the description of Burkina Faso in the media had expanded to include not just being one of the poorest countries in the Sahel region but also one that has insecurity problems. In 2019, terrorist attacks became a daily affair. The only thing the government could do was constantly change the head of the armed forces or the defense chief. The killings and the inability of the government to do anything about them sparked protests and demonstrations across the country. So, in addition to dealing with insurgency, the government had to also deal with the growing civil unrest. Again, the narrative about Burkina Faso had changed from a country that was once stable to one plagued with political and civil instability. By January 2022, the people of Burkina Faso were tired of the government and the military was also tired. So it came as no surprise that in January 2022, President Cabour was ousted from power by Polonry Sandivogo Demeber, a lieutenant colonel in the Burkina B military. It also came as no surprise that the people of Burkina Faso were excited about the military takeover of the country. While the international community condemned the coup, thousands of Burkina bees took to the streets to express their support for the military government. They saw the coup as a sign that things were going to change. After Demeber was appointed as the interim president, he pledged to improve security and eventually restore civilian rule. The people were hopeful, but unfortunately, Demeber's regime failed to defeat the jihadists. Instead, the killings increased, the jihadists expanded their operations, and by September 2022, they controlled about 40% of Burkina Faso. This led to tensions in the military, with some believing that the reason the jihadists were able to expand was because Demeber did not focus on the insurgency problem. And so, on September 30, 2022, Demeber was ousted from power by a formidable force, Ibrahim Traore, along with other junior officers. Unlike all the other leaders who had ruled Burkina Faso since the death of Thomas Sankara, Ibrahim Traore, with his actions and speech, proved that he is of a different breed. His actions and personality have made people compare him to Burkina Faso's hero Thomas Sankara. Shockingly, both of them have a lot in common. At age 34, Traore became the youngest president in the world after he was appointed interim president of Burkina Faso following the overthrow of Demeber's government. Unlike his predecessors, his rise to power has altered the course of Burkina Faso and set the country on a different path, a path to greatness. Observing his words, personality and actions, people can't help but conclude that he is Thomas Sankara come to life. One of his early statements after he came into power was, I know that I am younger than most of you here. We did not want what happened, the coup against Demeber, but we did not have a choice. Traore appeared to have faded to the background until July 2023, when he accompanied 16 other African heads of state to St. Petersburg in Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, who had organized the Russia-Africa summit. It was during this two-day summit that Burkina Faso was catapulted into the spotlight as a country that has a formidable leader. And so the narrative about Burkina Faso changed. Yes, the country is still portrayed as poor and unstable due to the insecurity challenge, but the big difference is that there is hope that Burkina Faso is going to get better because of Ibrahim Traore. In his speech at the Russia-African summit, Traore first highlighted the role of Africa and the Soviet Union in the fight against Nazism in Germany and fascism in Italy during World War II. He bemoaned how historical narratives frequently marginalize these nations' crucial contributions, producing a false vision of history that ignores Africa's pivotal role. In an obvious call for a paradigm shift among African leadership, Traore urged fellow African leaders to resist manipulation by imperialist forces. In his words, we African heads of state have to stop behaving like puppets who dance every time the imperialists pull the strings. By the end of 2022, he continued, Several hundred of these courageous individuals have already sacrificed their lives to safeguard those of their fellow countrymen. What I cannot comprehend, Traore said, is why other African leaders who offer no assistance stoop so low as to label these brave men and women militias. Elsewhere, they would have been hailed as patriots. Traore also emphasized the essential need for African nations' food self-sufficiency. He praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's promise that free food would be sent to six African nations following the collapse of the Black Sea Accord while also portraying it as a wake-up call for African leaders. At the next forum, we must not come here without having ensured food self-sufficiency for our people, he went on to say. In closing his speech, Traore reiterated the powerful lines from Thomas Sankara's 1984 UN address. The slave who is unable to assume his revolt does not deserve to be pitted, along with Sankara's distinctive finishing phrase, for the land or death, we shall triumph. These words sounded like a battle cry, quickly spreading over social media channels and touching the hearts and spirits of African youths. This magnificent speech certainly gave a glimpse of the kind of leader Traore is, and since then, all his other addresses at summits and interviews have made him admirable all over Africa. But it's not just his words or statements, it's also his actions. Since he came to power, he has done more than his predecessors to fix the security problem as well as the development of Burkina Faso. Quite right, the jihadist crisis is still a big issue in the country one year after Traore came to power, but within this one year, he has focused efforts on a strong security response to these attacks by groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. From massive recruitment of volunteers for the defense of the homeland, general mobilization, the purchase of drones and helicopters, equipping the military, the neutralization of jihadists, and trips by President Traore to the field to motivate troops, he has also signed new defense agreements with Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, all in a bid to deal with the security problem. A true anti-neocolonialist and anti-imperialist, Traore ended the old defense agreement with the former colonial master of Burkina Faso, France, which gave France the right to interfere in the Burkina Faso military. But that's not all, he also demanded that all the French troops in Burkina Faso leave the country because, despite the fact that they have been in the country since 2017 to solve the jihadist crisis, the situation in Burkina Faso has remained the same. So, according to Traore, Burkina Faso no longer needs France, and it wants to defend itself. France had no choice but to leave. In terms of development, the government of Traore has engaged in several developmental projects in the country, including the modernization of roads, setting up a community entrepreneurship fund that would aid in the industrialization of the country, water, sanitation, and agricultural projects, as well as setting up a nuclear power plant, a deal recently signed with Russia. There is no doubt that with Traore in power, Burkina Faso is on a path to greatness. We only hope that he is not assassinated or removed from power like other African revolutionary leaders who were removed from power before they could achieve all that they plan to do. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below and do not forget to like, subscribe, and date his video.