Why do We Always Betray those of Us that Fight for Afrika's Freedom?

Who killed the lion king?

[b]There is actually no murder mystery:

When Thomas Sankara was killed after four years as President of Burkina Faso, it was at the orders – if not at the hands – of one of his oldest friends, now President Blaise Compaoré. Echoes of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as much as Disney’s The Lion King. Why should we care about this particular African tragedy?

We should care because the revolution Sankara led between 1983 and 1987 was one of the most creative and radical that Africa has produced in the decades since independence. He started to blaze a trail that other African countries might follow, a genuine alternative to Western-style modernization – and, like other radical African leaders such as Patrice Lumumba and Amilcar Cabral, was shot down as a result. Whereas his murderer, still in power eight years later, has pursued self-enrichment and politics as usual – and has been fêted by the West for his compliance.

An incorruptible man

*A major anti-corruption drive began in 1987. The tribunal showed Captain Thomas Sankara to have a salary of only $450 a month and his most valuable possessions to be a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer. He was the world’s poorest president.

*Sankara refused to use the air conditioning in his office on the grounds that such luxury was not available to anyone but a handful of Burkinabes.

*When asked why he had let it be known that he did not want his portrait hung in public places, as is the norm for other African leaders (and as Blaise Compaoré does now), Sankara said ‘There are seven million Thomas Sankaras’.

Chronicle of a revolution

Feb 1984 Tribute payments to and obligatory labour for the traditional village chiefs are outlawed.

4 Aug 1984 All land and mineral wealth are nationalized. The country’s name is changed from the colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, words from two different local languages meaning ‘Land of the Incorruptible’.

22 Sept 1984 A day of solidarity: men are encouraged to go to market and prepare meals to experience for themselves the conditions faced by women.

Oct 1984 The rural poll tax is abolished.

Nov 1984 ‘Vaccination Commando’. In 15 days 2.5 million children are immunized against meningitis, yellow fever and measles.

3 Dec 1984 Top civil servants and military officers are required to give one month’s pay and other civil servants to give half a month to help fund social development projects.

31 Dec 1984 All domestic rents are suspended for 1985 and a massive public housing construction program begins.

1 Jan 1985 Launch of a campaign to plant 10 million trees to slow the Sahara’s advance.

4 Aug 1985 An all-women parade marks the anniversary of the Revolution.

10 Sep 1985 The mounting hostility of the region’s conservative regimes is revealed at a meeting in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

Feb-Apr 1986 ‘Alpha Commando’. A literacy campaign in nine indigenous languages involves 35,000 people.

End of 1986 A UN-assisted program brings river blindness under control.

15 Oct 1987 Sankara is assassinated in a coup d’état along with 12 aides. His body is unceremoniously dumped in a makeshift grave which quickly becomes a shrine as for days thousands of people file past it to pay their respects. Popular feeling forces the new regime to give Sankara a decent grave.

A villager’s assessment of Sankara

‘I wasn’t surprised when he was killed – the Revolution took me by surprise but that didn’t. He had bad men around him, people who just wanted to get fat and drive around in big cars. Many things changed in the Revolution. Not always in the best way. But because of the Revolution we know a little more about the type of politicians we need. It taught us to work by ourselves for ourselves. But Sankara wanted everything to happen too quickly – he expected too much.

‘If I were President myself I would do just as Sankara did and send my ministers out to the villages to learn what it’s like there and give the peasants help. Sankara’s very best idea was to teach us that it wasn’t enough to live with what we get in wages each month – we should get by with the minimum and give the rest to the development of the country instead of always asking for aid from overseas.’

‘I would like to leave behind me the conviction that if we maintain a certain amount of caution and organization we deserve victory... You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness. In this case, it comes from nonconformity, the courage to turn your back on the old formulas, the courage to invent the future. It took the madmen of yesterday for us to be able to act with extreme clarity today. I want to be one of those madmen. We must dare to invent the future.’

Thomas Sankara, 1985


See also this information on Thomas Sankara from the Wikipedia

The Good Die Young

... and the hard die best.

Wow. Much respect.

I'm afraid it's human nature - it's called being safe in numbers!

On a personal note, I'm fed up of people only associating themselves with me for money. Had this mini cab driver so called African militant who felt obliged to maintain a friendship because I lent him 1G to fix his car. Front him with an argument about marriage and children in wedlock he had to run to Ligali as well as buying out the favouritism of all the non African militants on the corner. Not only should he have defended the concept of marriage and wedlock online (as opposed to defending his predicament) but should have taken it and sold it to the non militants as well.

I was unemployed and asked my friends brother (a renowned painter and decorator) to decorate the house I bought for my children and family. He quoted £1,500 for one room..and there was at least another 5 to do plus the hallways, staircase etc. This is a man I used to do repairs for and knock fists as payments. The sad truth is if I was working at the time I probably would have paid him the 1500 per room in some warped belief that I was keeping it in the family.

And then there is the babymother. Shared none of the values that represent me as an African man trying to make something good out of a family adverse system but knows I've got ambition which in the eyes of babylons daughter simply equates to money. Tells people she loved me yet doesn't represent anything I stand for other than a resource for children she can't afford - so no surprises there then to discover all the aforementioned joined together when I found out none of them are looking out for my children, they're only watching house and car...yes..and that includes the babymother.

As the saying goes, found out they are frauds so you have to find out what dem a guard. Threw to corn online to catch a militant sellout. The first one was about a friend who came round to visit my family and all he saw was the decor of the house saying he couldn't bring his woman round cos she'd kill him if she saw my kitchen.

I put this online and got an immediate call from African militant - he clearly thought it was him. The next minute he was round here with all his family but by this time he knew my relationship was well on the rocks. At last he could bring his babymother round as his way of saying, he might be a min cab driver and we might live in our childrens flat but we've got family....the family I led by example to have..yep marriage as well.

The other card was about a college friend of mine who said I'll be dating a grey in less than ten years. Things were happening off line so again I put this on line (this time on Ligali) as the militant had sought refuge there. Again he thought I was talking about him and took the bait big big time. Calling no names he started talking about how I treat my woman and how I can't raise my kids. When I'd reflect his own wotlisness back in defence he'd be ringing my babymother for more evidence to splurt. Naturally she knowing she was history joined up and it was one big happy sellout. The militant finally had something to tell his mother. There was also an abortionist in the picture somewhere...the ex wife saw eye to eye with him too

Well that was the end of my Ligali career but again it was amazing who was taking sides with this hypocrite..jezabels from all corners. The militant was well up their arse by then, all telling me he was going to be administering their website so it was no surprise when the ban came...guess it save him the shame of having to defend himself..ironically he hasn't been back here since and is probably one of the main sources of any perceived BNV/Ligali divide. It wouldn't be that bad but I used to defend his ass here when people who dioidn't even know him spotted him as a hypocrite.

Still, who god bless no one can curse. I'd like to save my boys but babylon has got them now..the most I can do is pray for them...as Sizzla says, more guidance, jah jah never yet let me down.

Indeed she will openly admit she rather be known as a babymother (safety in numbers again). Instead of lapping up the situation and feeling free she's there fretting on the little money I encouraged her to spend as a family - natuarally she wants it back now..and this is after I already offered it to here but she thought she'd try for the big fish first. And a big joke here is even when I offered it to her I was never running her out of the yard...it was more for her to take her mind off it and focus on being a mother instead of equity and legacy

So yeah, I'm sure they can give there side of the story and I'm sure there is an element of chinese whispers and misunderstanding there too but bottom line is nobody not even the babymother could defend what it was I was trying to do for my children. But we all know, the reality is the enemies were jealous that they couldn't do the same and the babymother is simply defending she is not in the same class when it comes to defining what is a mother and a wife....even with a marriage license...what was a cultural virtue to me was simply financial security to her.

Still, she squatting in the house now claiming to be rehousing herself and has used her marital rights to stop me remortgaging the house I pay for. The good thing is I was never in this for the money so I don't need to defend it though I'll defend the roof over mine and my childrens head...just to see how it turns out.

But the biggest joke for me is when they tried to buy out certain people and all those people saw were a bunch of jealous sellouts who broke the golden rule about not having their bredrins back when it comes to falling out with his woman.

Who killed the Lion King - hypocrites and parasites!

Oh that reminds me..I must try and get my college books back from that grey boy militant sellout. Maybe I should have charged him (more) for those computers I gave him for his children and charged everybody for the years of free time and service I gave in an attempt to make sure the internet revolution didn't leave our people behind. Or maybe I should have taken those 6-12 month £400 a day contracts which I declined because they were taking me away from my 'family'. Maybe with all that money the babymother wouldn't now be trying to sell herself as someone who gave me money to buy a house now that she's no longer a wife - you have to laugh

oh...and that's not to mention the gun-in-a-baggy whores of babylon trying sell it as me getting banned from Ligali for disrespecting women- it's amazing who will team up to sell you down the river

And for the record, anybody who thinks I've disrespected my ex wife on this site, I haven't send anything that she hasn't openly defended as normal to my face - go figure!

Apparently she's going to make me suffer now -heehee

Good thing I'm a conscious dude and appreciate this is nothing new, it's all been written down centuries ago....indeed most righteous people accept this along with 'unrewarded' sacrifice and even early death as part and parcel of the game. As my muslim brothers keep telling me, my reward awaits me in heaven

Who killed the Lion King - Values, Culture and real Respect for the integrity and the security for his Female, Family and Friends did - but alas, you can't respect those who don't respect themselves.

"But Sankara wanted everything to happen too quickly – he expected too much" - his ambitions were in a different class!

Who killed the Lion King - probably people he put before himself!.