Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers, under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has adopted a draft decree recognising the late Captain Thomas Sankara, former military ruler of the country who was assassinated in 1987, as a national hero for having marked the history and progress of the country.
Government spokesman, Rimtalba Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo, said “This recognition follows the adoption in June 2022 of the law establishing the status of Hero of the Nation and the decree creating the National Commission for the analysis and monitoring of the files of heroes, martyrs and invalids of the nation.” He specified that the technical committee assembled for this purpose considered that the file concerning the late Captain Sankara met all the criteria.
The call for Sankara to be recognised for his contributions to the development of Burkina Faso has been on for years, stirring a silent debate across the country that was prohibited in public during the 27 year reign of Blaise Compaore, a close friend of Sankara and the man who overthrew him.
Many Burkinabes describe Sankara as a man who gave everything for the growth of the nation. They note that even the name Burkina Faso, meaning the country of the honest or upright men, was adopted under him, ending the use of the colonial French name Haute Volta or Upper Volta. When he was asked why he changed the name to Burkina Faso, Sankara famously answered, “Upper Volta means nothing to us.”
