![]() Like many revolutionary leaders, he banned unions, a free press, anything which might stand in the way of his plans for the immediate and radical transformation of society. To symbolize this rebirth, he even renamed his country from the French colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, ‘Land of Upright Men.’ As soon as he took office, he reduced the salaries of all public servants, including his own, and forbade the use of chauffeur-driven Mercedes and 1st class airline tickets. He immediately launched the most ambitious program for social and economic change ever attempted on the African continent. ![]() Sankara, a charismatic army captain, came to power in Burkina Faso, in 1983, in a popularly supported coup. The film recovers for the present a detailed history of Sankara’s brief four-year rule and his revolutionary program for African self-reliance as a defiant alternative to the neo-liberal development strategies imposed on Africa by the West, both then and today. This new film should go a long way towards explaining why, though largely forgotten in this country, Sankara is still venerated on his own continent as the ‘African Che,’ a legendary martyr like Patrice Lumumba or Amilcar Cabral. ($2.99)Īs Africa looks desperately for leaders of integrity and vision, the life and ideals of the late Thomas Sankara seem more and more relevant and exemplary with the passage of time. Now available for 48 hour digital rental to individuals on Vimeo. ![]() California Newsreel - THOMAS SANKARA: THE UPRIGHT MANĭVD,DVD + 3-Year Site/Local Streaming and Three-Year Site/Local Streaming Renewal
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |