Thomas Sankara was a Burkinabé military officer and socialist revolutionary and former President of Burkina Faso.
Thomas Sankara born under the full name Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was born on December 21, 1949, in Yako, Burkina Faso.
Being born into a Catholic home in a Fulani community, Sankara’s Roman Catholic parents, Joseph Sankara and Marguerite Kinda wanted him to be a priest, but he opted for a military career instead.
Thomas Sankara Quotes And Speeches
Notable among his speeches is the speech he delivered before the General Assembly of the United Nations in French, on 4 October 1984 in New York City.
Sankara also has made a lot of quotes most on ‘Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle’ that people make reference to when speaking on high occasions. Some of his quotes are:
- “he who feeds you controls you”
- “I can hear the roar of women’s silence”
Thomas Sankara Wife And Children
Sankara married Mariam Sankara with whom he was with until his last breath. The couple has two sons; Auguste Sankara and Philippe Sankara.
Thomas Sankara Achievements
He first provided feeding, housing, and medical care to his people who desperately needed it and established programs that outlawed Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy. He also appointed women into top political positions.
Thomas Sankara Death
Sankara was assassinated by an armed group with twelve other officials in a coup d’état organized by his former colleague Blaise Compaoré on October 15, 1987.