“NATO was founded by the United States, Canada and 10 European States – including fascist Portugal – in 1949 as a strategic military alliance. It was never a “defensive” alliance as U.S. leaders claimed, but instead an offensive coalition, led by the United States, against the socialist countries and the anti-colonial movements rising then in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.”
Michael is singing about corruption, greed and abuse of power. There’s lyrics in the background that are never put on on these videos, but they’re there, plain as day. At about 3:20 to 3:40 he says You want it? Earn it with dignity! Then he rattles off names of robber barons. Vanderbilt, Morgan, Trump, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Getty.
Who was Thomas Sankara?
Thomas Sankara, often referred to as “Africa’s Che Guevara” was the president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He seized power in a 1983 popularly supported coup, with the goal of eliminating corruption and the dominance of the former French colonial power.
Sankara’s foreign policies were centered around anti-imperialism, with his government eschewing all foreign aid because, as he often said, “he who feeds you, controls you.” He pushed for debt reduction and nationalized all land and mineral wealth, averting the power and influence of the IMF and World Bank.
His domestic policies were focused on preventing famine with agrarian self-sufficiency and land reform, prioritizing education with a nation-wide literacy campaign, and promoting public health by vaccinating 2.5 million children. And his was the first African government to publicly recognize the AIDS epidemic as a major threat to Africa.
Thomas Sankara was an extraordinary man.
- He outlawed female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy and was the first African leader to appoint women to major cabinet positions and actively recruit them for the military. A motorcyclist himself, he formed an all-woman motorcycle personal guard.
- He encouraged women to work outside the home and stay in school even if pregnant.
- He launched a nation-wide public health ‘Vaccination Commando’ a state run program that in a period of only 15 days in early November 1984, completed the immunization of 2.5 million children against meningitis (a world record), yellow fever and measles. This operation was so successful in that children in neighbouring countries like the Ivory Coast and Mali were sent to Burkina Faso for free immunization that helped curtail high rates of infant and child mortality.
- He sold off the government fleet of Mercedes cars and made the Renault 5 (the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at that time) the official service car of the ministers. He lowered his salary, as President, to only $450 a month and limited his possessions to a car, four bikes, three guitars, and a refrigerator.
- He planted over ten million trees to halt the growing desertification of the Sahel and established an ambitious road and rail construction program to “tie the nation together.”
- He was known for jogging unaccompanied through the capital city in his track suit and posing in his tailored military fatigues with his mother-of-pearl pistol. And when asked why he didn’t want his portrait hung in public places, as was the norm for other African leaders, he said ”there are seven million Thomas Sankaras.”
Sankara’s revolutionary policies for self-reliance and defiance against the neoliberal development strategies imposed by the West made him an icon to many supporters of African liberation. But his policies alienated and antagonized the vested interests of the small but powerful Burkinabe middle class, the tribal leaders who he stripped of the traditional right to forced labor and tribute payments, and the foreign financial interests in France and their ally Ivory Coast.
Compaore and Sankara
On October 15, 1987 Sankara was killed by an armed militia of twelve officials in a coup d’état organized by Compaore. Sankara’s body was dismembered and buried in an unmarked grave. Compaore immediately took power, overturning most of Sankara’s policies. Compaore reportedly ousted Sankara because he believed that his revolutionary policies were jeopardizing Burkina Faso’s relationship with France and Ivory Coast. Sankara and Compaore were not only colleagues, they were childhood friends.
This is why ‘Bad Karma’ should be Blaise Compaore’s middle name. He is a ruthless man who orchestrated the brutal assassination of his best friend.
Yet he is the man routinely designated by the international community to act as a ’mediator’ to help resolve African conflicts… smdh
“I was a child that day, when I asked my grandfather : What is the meaning of treason? He showed me this picture and told me what this man in the photo is doing is a treason. I did not understand that day well what he ment, but I still kept the photo.. and today I learned what is a treason. Nothing has changed from that day up untill now, except that persons who brought colonizers to Bani Walid now are grandchildren of those grandfathers who brought Italians almost a century ago. Today their descendants came with NATO. Our people were stabbed treacherously by these grandchildren, they cheered for the NATO occupation in the same way in which their grandfathers cheered for Mussolini after issuing a fatwa calling him the son of Friday Market, that Mussolini is the guardian of the world, now their grandchildren are loudly accepting Bernard Levy and other thief invaders. A conqueror of Libya Bernard Levy came and customers gathered to receive him, and showered him with gifts, girls taking photos with him. Previously Mussolini was the one who toured on his horse and treacherous Libyans were shouting to him and welcoming him! Today I learned the meaning of treason because I saw it in front of me, and I learned that the traitors always describe the treason as something honorable to justify themselves and hide their betrayal. (Photo Khrbichh handed a sword to Mussolini and was one of the members of the committee in charge of preparing a welcoming reception to Mussolini, along with Mahmoud Victor, Khalifa Zawi and Abu Delight, after that it was a march of Magdy Rady, when all the collaborators and traitors came out with their families to show to the world how to sell your land to the infidels). Do any of you still do not know the meaning of treason?”
