There are tribes in West Africa that end their prayers with "As it was in the beginning so will it be in the End".
On October 15, 1987 Blaise Compaore invited Thomas Sankara to a meeting where they should sort out their differences. They had been at logger heads for a while. Much as Sankara was warned that this was most unwise and that he would be exposed to mortal danger, he was such an idealist that he agreed to go without conditions. He never made it fully out of the car; He was murdered along with 12 other senior officials that he had brought along by an armed gang led by his pal and revolutionary colleague, Blaise Compaoré.
Who was Thomas Sankara? Thomas Sankara is the leader you are all looking for in Kenya and indeed Africa. He is the leader who got rid of the curse of the limousine and other trappings of power. He dispensed with both the full and half carpet. He ordered the presidential toilet removed from the dais. In fact he found the whole idea of a grown up standing up in the midst of a meeting to go just behind the curtain and begin the usual anal bursts and explosions followed by a foul tincture rather embarrassing for an adult. He reasoned that if the citizens who come to the meeting were to each bring a toilet, the entire country would stink to Kingdom Come. So he decided to use the same toilet as other citizens. I can only imagine that since as of today - 23 years later only 6% of population have access to improved sanitation facilities in rural areas and a mere 33% in urban areas (UNICEF), then the majority of the citizens depend on the "bush". So it follows that President Thomas Sankara also used the "bush" when relieving himself!
Sankara got rid of extravagance. He was so determined that when Guinea attacked, he sued for peace and in fact suggested that the President of Guinea share some of his military arsenal. He surrendered and then told his people to their faces that they had been DEFEATED! No spin; No lies just the plain truth! He told them the reason is none other than their poverty. They are not able to buy weapons without money and they will not use their hard earned cash on weapons. What a man! The people loved hearing the truth from a leader for once!
He was equally frank with the man whose army had humiliated his country. He admitted defeat. No ceasirefires; No euphemism; Plain surrender! During his first post war meeting with President Conte of Guinea he informed him that in future if he fancied anything in Burkina Faso, he should just ask and he will be given. He need not send an army as they will not resist and prayed that he won't make too hard demands on the Burkinabe. In short the man unnerved all the neighbors and annoyed every opulence loving dictator!
With him making sacrifices, the people were only ready to make their own sacrifices. He thus rejected the IMF imposed SAPs and went along with his own. His own were more stringent than what the IMF imposed. It was not long before Rawlings played the same game (minus the demands on opulence).
So when the citizens work up to hear of the death of what Compaore called a "tyrant", they thought they were having a nightmare! Several weeks in to his dictatorship, Compaore changed tact and embraced Thomas Sankara but by way of monuments and Streets' names. He soon took off the Lieutenant's uniform and adorned a "French" Suit with "made in Paris" on it (in reality the Frenchman has them made in a sweatshop in Thailand).
It is therefore with pleasure that I see the citizens finally take to the streets in a Tunisia-like revolt that started within the army ranks. I pray that they overthrow the man but keep the army out of power.
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