Books

Thomas Sankara, often called the African Che Guevara, was president of the West African country of Burkina Faso until his assassination during the military coup that brought down his government. An avowed Marxist, he outspokenly asserted his country’s independence from France and other Western powers and at the same time sought to build genuine pan-African unity. Ernest Harsch traces Sankara’s life from his student days to his political awakening and increasing dismay at his country’s poverty and political corruption. As Sankara rose to leadership positions, he used those offices to mobilize people for change and to counter the influence of the old, corrupt elites. He and his colleagues initiated economic and social policies that shifted the country away from dependence on foreign aid and toward a greater use of its own resources. Although Sankara’s sweeping vision and practical reforms won him admirers both in Burkina Faso and across Africa, a combination of domestic opposition groups and factions within his own government and army finally led to his assassination in 1987. This is the first English-language book to tell the story of Sankara’s life, drawing on extensive first-hand research in Burkina Faso, including interviews with the late leader. Decades after his death, Sankara remains an inspiration to youth throughout Africa for his integrity, idealism, and dedication to independence and self-deter-mination. Ernest Harsch is a research scholar at the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University. He worked on African issues at the United Nations for more than twenty years and is the author of South Africa: White Rule, Black Revolt.