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00:17 After 04 years in power, Captain Thomas Ankara fell under the bullets of a commando during
00:23 a council of ministers on October 15, 1987 at 4 p.m.
00:27 Since that day, his memory and his ideologies remain alive in the memory of the young Burkinabé.
00:32 Who was Thomas Ankara?
00:34 Here are 08 things you need to know about his life.
00:38 1- A revolutionary captain.
00:40 Although dead about thirty years ago, Captain Thomas Ankara is still alive in the daily
00:45 life of the population of Ouagadougou.
00:48 Nobody has forgotten him, many young people are still filled with admiration for this
00:53 revolutionary leader who was a friend of the people, a defender of human rights, of
00:57 women, a world-leading alter.
00:58 So that African peoples can remain on the traces of his ideology, the latter is transmitted
01:04 through music, art and politics.
01:06 Just like Mandela, Ankara is a hero of Africa.
01:10 In his time, he aspires to a Burkina Faso all politically well done, where social policy
01:16 would prioritize the interests of the people and to achieve this, he allies himself with
01:19 his brothers in arms and ascends to power.
01:21 2- A Pan-African.
01:23 He becomes president at just 33 years old and quickly gains great popularity thanks
01:28 to his charisma and his joviality.
01:30 Once president, he presents the young people of Africa and integrity.
01:34 He leads a modest life in the presidential palace with his wife and two sons.
01:39 The first thing he does once in power is to change the name of his homeland, which
01:44 was on August 4, 1984.
01:47 This is how the Haute-Volta becomes the Burkina Faso, which is in associating the Moré languages
01:51 and Dioula means "country of integral men".
01:53 3- Country of integral men.
01:57 In his country of integrity, Thomas Ankara drastically reduces the indemnity of officials
02:01 and the government's expenses.
02:03 In 1984, fuel bonds are no longer attributed according to the capacity of the tank of
02:09 vehicles but in relation to mileage in order to avoid resales.
02:12 In addition, the salaries of the members of his government correspond to those of their
02:17 professions, which means that as a captain, the president therefore receives a monthly
02:20 salary of 138,736 francs CFA.
02:23 In the chapter on the economies, he authorizes air conditioning in the administrations and
02:28 ministries only in April, the hottest month of the year.
02:30 For Ankara, schools, dams, dispensaries, refilling spaces can be built on the budget
02:38 of the state of this country considered as one of the poorest in the world.
02:41 04- Sankara in power
02:44 At the beginning of the 1980s, the high voltage was the victim of multiple coups d'état.
02:48 In 1981, Thomas Ankara is appreciated in the military circle where he is quickly named
02:54 Secretary of State for Information, an ephemeral post because he ends up resigning due to
02:58 social injustices against the people and corruption, which he did not tolerate elsewhere.
03:02 Once president, the fight against corruption becomes a priority for him because of the
03:08 experiences he witnessed as Secretary of State for Information.
03:12 He starts to lower the state's standard of living by selling the luxury cars of ministers
03:16 and subsequently he forces them to drive Renault 5 like him.
03:20 In addition, he asks each member of the government to declare his material goods not only to
03:24 a high authority but also on the radio so that everyone can hear it.
03:27 05- Social policy
03:31 In Burkina Faso, the population does not have the right to participate or give their opinion
03:35 on political programs and as this is part of the social injustices against which Thomas
03:40 Ankara is fighting, he comes to power in a momentary way.
03:43 By creating defense committees for the revolution, Thomas Ankara achieves one of his objectives
03:48 which will allow the population to be put at the center of political action.
03:52 Four of these committees are in charge of practicing power in the country to the people.
03:57 However, these committees have multiple tasks to accomplish, namely public security,
04:01 political training, sanitation of neighborhoods, the development of production and consumption
04:06 of local products, participation in budgetary control in ministries etc.
04:10 To name but a few.
04:13 However, their work has been done but in an illicit way, they are accused of extortion
04:17 as well as of overflow, which goes against the values of Thomas Ankara to the point
04:21 that he gives them back to the authorities himself.
04:23 06- Defenders of women's rights
04:26 Women's rights in Burkina Faso, just like in other African countries, are not
04:31 valued at all or at least not enough, they are rather scoffed at.
04:34 Women have a limited place in society and in order to put an end to it, Captain
04:39 Ankara supports women by engaging in their struggle for the promotion of their emancipation,
04:44 for this he appoints many women in his administration as ministers.
04:47 On March 8, 1987, the day of the celebration of the woman, he put more of his support for
04:53 this one.
04:54 He asked men to celebrate the woman by exchanging roles with their wives, and so they
04:58 would start doing the work of these, including household chores.
05:02 07- Patriotic spirit
05:05 In order to create an abolition of the heritage of colonization, Thomas Ankara relies on patriotism
05:10 and everything goes very quickly the day after his putsch.
05:13 During his 04 years in power, he launches several political actions such as the reduction
05:18 of his administration's life span, the fight against corruption, his support for the emancipation
05:23 of women and many others.
05:25 Thomas Ankara implements a child mortality control program with the aim of vaccinating
05:30 because upon his arrival in power, the child mortality rate was estimated at 180 per thousand.
05:35 He also implements a fight against program.
05:38 The illiteracy rate was 98%, inciting everyone to learn to read or write
05:44 to others.
05:45 Result, the literacy rate has gone from 0.6% to 24%, the World Health Organization,
05:53 WHO, has also congratulated him on this achievement.
05:55 08- Against colonialism
05:58 Thomas Ankara is against colonialism, he assumes it while showing his friendship with all those
06:03 who lead the way towards the abolition of the "ball" in the West vis-à-vis the Soviet Union
06:07 during the Cold War.
06:08 Thomas Ankara wants to get his country out of French tutelage at all costs and also,
06:13 he wants to debate the agreements of collaboration between Burkina Faso and France.
06:18 When Burkina Faso receives the visit of François Mitterrand at the time president of France,
06:23 Thomas Ankara gives a speech in which he praises the "capitalism of the great powers
06:27 involved in the war between Iran and Iraq" and condemns France for its interference.
06:31 Through this speech, he directly expresses his opinion on France and the West.
06:37 In short, Thomas Ankara wanted to make Burkina Faso an independent and free country but he
06:42 will not have time to complete his work, on October 15, 1987 he was assassinated.
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