Only a few months after the death of Thomas Sankara, Ibrahim Traoré was born. Apparently, Traore’s birth was more or less the reincarnation of one of Africa’s greatest presidents, Thomas Sankara.
Now, this is not where the story starts or ends. It is commonly believed that beyond being a reincarnated Sankara, Ibrahim Traoré is Sankara’s ghost who haunts Burkina Faso. How true is this, and why are the men often being compared?
Before giving you the similarities between the two soldiers who became presidents at almost the same age, there is something to keep in mind. The captains became more interested in liberating their people and taking them out of the thorned hands of colonial masters. Of course, this is beyond being rulers. But then, one of the easiest ways to do that was by ruling the country through military regimes.
Their ideologies of who their people are and who they should be seem to be intertwined. In fact, Traore brings back those ideologies and reminds people of the exact words of Sankara, “The slave who is unable to assume his revolt does not deserve to be pitied.”
Most Fascinating 16 Similarities Between Thomas Sankara and Ibrahim Traoré Everyone Should Know
1. They Were Both Excellent Students
Sankara and Traore were both good students while growing up. They were quiet but talented and quickly became popular among students and teachers.
Traore attended primary school in Bondokuy while Sankara attended his primary school at Bobo-Dioulasso. Sankara was mostly famous for excelling in mathematics and French and was admired for his enthusiasm for education. In fact, his enthusiasm was quickly noticed by priests who encouraged him to go to a seminary. However, he chose a more conventional school.
This same enthusiasm was noticed in Traoré whose teachers still speak highly of him. He also later obtained a degree at the University of Ouagadougou where he graduated as one of the best students.
In case you’re wondering why I brought in this similarity. Here’s the short answer. Being highly intelligent students at early ages could easily sit as a stool that probably inspired their later ideologies and decisions to become revolutionists.
2. Both Men Have Been Linked to Mali War
In 1974, Thomas Sankara fought on the border between Mali and Upper Volta which he later renamed Burkina Faso. His being part of the war fast gave him fame as his strength was noticed. However, he later called the fight useless and unjust.
The interesting part of this is that his said reincarnation, Ibrahim Traoré also became famous for partaking in the Mali War in 2014. This was about 40 years after Sankara joined the fight.
Here is where the story gets even more fascinating.
At the time Sankara fought in the war, he was approaching 26 years of age. In a similar vein, Traoré was also 26 years old when he joined the fight through a United Nations peacekeeping force called MINUSMA.
3. Captian Ibrahim Traoré and Thomas Sankara Seized Power Through Military Coup
Sankara and Traoré are similar in how they assumed office in Burkina Faso. They used a military coup to remove their predecessors and seize power as rulers of the West African country.
Now the question is why did they use military force to seize power?
This is the background.
Before both Sankara and Traoré, the country had already had numerous military coups. Therefore, it became easier for them to follow suit. At the time Sankara became president, there were already 3 separate military coups in the country which was then called Upper Volta.
Then, the country had 6 separate military coups when it was renamed Burkina Faso and before Ibrahim Traore became president. His coming to power through coup makes it the 7th coup d’etat in 38 years.
4. They are the Only Burkina Faso Presidents Whose Predecessors Spent Slightly Over 240 Days in Office
Before Sankara, his predecessor, Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo spent 268 days as president. Now, this was normal until 2022 when Ibrahim Traoré became president after his predecessor Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba spent 249 days in power. Could it be just another coincidence?
Well, on the surface, it may mean nothing but let’s put them side by side with other Burkina Faso presidents. So far, there is no president of the country whose predecessor spent anything from 200 to 299 days in office. The only exception is Sankara and Traore.
Other presidents, military and democratic spent from 1 to 151 days or 303 days to as high as 27 years.
Maybe, just maybe if you are directly before them, 200 is not your lucky number.
5. Sankara and Traore Became Presidents at Almost the Same Age
In August 1983, Thomas Sankara became the president of the West African country known as Upper Volta. He was just about 4 months away from being 34 years old.
Sankara was at the time the youngest president in Africa.
This also became the fate of Traore when he became the president of Burkina Faso in October 2022 at 34. He automatically became the youngest president in Africa and the world.
At the time Sankara became president, Africa was already used to getting young presidents. Some of them include Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria who was 31 years old, and Valentine Strasser who became military head of state in Sierra Leone 3 days before he turned 25.
Because of these, Sankara’s age and his ability to rule was not questioned that much.
Now, the continent is mostly being ruled by older people in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s. This has led many to question if Traoré’s age would affect him, or if he will give us something else to think about in terms of being young and changing the leadership narrative in Africa like Sankara.
6. They Have Been Linked to Russia and Different Men Named “Vladimir”
Except if you have followed the story of Sankara very closely, it is easy to miss this point about him. Unlike Traore who the world keeps directly linking him to Russia, Sankara had more of an indirect link with the European country.
How is that? In case this question wanders in your mind, stay put to find out.
Now, back to how Sankara is linked to Russia.
In the 1970s, Sankara came across several books, including that of Vladimir Lenin. Now you see how he is linked to a man named Vladimir. Anyway, that is not all and that is definitely not the juicy part of the gist.
Sankara read many books from Vladimir, a revolutionist, lawyer, and writer; and in no time, his political ideologies were formed. It is with these ideologies that he rose to become a revolutionist and a leader who died in the course of serving Burkina Faso, “the land of Upright Men”.
Let’s shift our focus now to the man of the moment, Ibrahim Traore. Following the successful coup that brought him to power, many allegations arose that Russia was at the helm of the coup. Shortly after, he joined 17 other African heads to attend the 2023 Russia-Africa summit headed by Vladimir Putin.
7. Both Men are Nationalists and Pan-Africanists
The love for Africa and the need for the continent to develop is one other interesting thing Sankara and Traore have in common. They believe that Africa has all that it needs to grow and does not have to rely on Western countries to develop.
One common word they use to describe African leaders who give in to the Western world to gain favor is “puppet”.
8. Captian Ibrahim Traore and Thomas Sankara are Religious Men
No, Sankara and Traoré are not of the same religious beliefs. Let’s clarify that before we continue.
Sankara was a Christian and Catholic. In fact, he took work in his church seriously and was easily noticed by church leaders who encouraged him to attend a seminary. His parents also saw his dedication and wanted him to become a priest but the Pan-Africanist chose the military.
Looking at Traore, he is Muslim and takes his faith seriously. Also, he was part of the Association of Muslim Students while at the university.
This is interesting enough but no, it is not all. While Sankara and Traore are similar in taking their religious lives seriously, humanity and fighting for the good of their people seem to be a new religion – if revolution was a religion of course!
9. Their Charisma Makes Them The Most Popular Burkina Faso Leaders in History
Whenever you hear Traoré talk, you would definitely hear eloquence. In case you haven’t heard Sankara speak, you may want to surf the internet. Then you’ll come to terms that the men are eloquent and command respect with their words.
It is no wonder that while Sankara was president, he was one of the most interviewed African leaders and he easily got the media’s attention.
His said reincarnation draws similar concentration. He gets the media’s attention so much so that he is one of the most renowned African leaders.
Before Sankara, there was hardly any attention on Burkina Faso’s leaders, and after him, the attention went down before Traore brought it back.
10. Rather Than Working Closely with France, a Country that colonized them, They Chose Different Countries
If you have been following this video, you will remember that we earlier said that Sankara and Ibrahim Traore don’t want to be “puppets”. So, getting France in the middle of their anti-imperial movement would have been hypocritical if you asked me.
I guess you’re not asking so let me just go straight to the business of the day – That is how Sankara and Traoré want less of French influence.
In the 1980s when Sankara was president, he defined his program as anti-imperial. This means that he distanced his government from colonialism. He reduced French aid by 80% between 1983 and 1985.
Instead, he chose to liaise more with Cuba, a country that was at the time led by another revolutionary, Fidel Castro.
This new friendship saw many Burkinabés move to Cuba to receive professional training in order to help them develop Burkina Faso.
Let us fix our gaze on what Ibrahim Traoré is doing with French influence.
In February 2023, only about 4 months after he became president, Traore’s government expelled the French forces assisting in fighting insurgency in his country. Then, he declared that the country wants a win-win partnership.
Just as the world is trying to digest this, he expelled some French journalists. Of course, this was after he suspended media outlets called France 24 and Radio France International (RFI).
But there is more to this story than just the expulsion. BBC reports that France 24 was suspended due to accusations that the media outlet is “a communications agency of the militants by “broadcasting an interview with the head of al-Qaeda’s North Africa wing, Yezid Mebarek, who is also known as Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Anabi”.
France 24 denies the allegation.
Then, the president suspended the RFI on the claim that it broadcast a false report. Like France 24, it denied the allegation.
So, who is Taore getting close to? From indications and media reports, he is strengthening Burkina Faso’s relationship with Russia and the United States. Also, he is tilting towards forming a good relationship with Mali and Guinea.
11. Both Men are Not Interested in Getting Rich With Burkina Faso’s Wealth
Many people think this is one of the greatest similarities between Sankara and Traoré. What do you think?
Just before you answer, here is the full story then you make the verdict afterward.
In the 1980s when Sankara became president, he lowered his salary, used only one car, didn’t use an air conditioner, and limited several other luxuries.
Then, just about 2 months after Traoré came into power, he denounced his salary as head of state. Instead, he wanted to receive his salary as a captain.
No, it is not finished. I mean there is more about the two men cutting the cost of governance.
When Sankara came into power, he reduced the salaries of wealthy public servants and forbade the use of well-off government chauffeurs and first-class airline tickets. Also, high-earning civil servants had to pay one month’s salary to public projects.
Now, Traore followed not exactly the same path but it’s similar. In November 2023, under his regime, his ministers cut off 50% of their salaries for the month. This was to help the poor, especially those displaced as a result of insurgency in the country.
Only about a month later, the Burkina Faso government proposed a 1% voluntary deduction from workers’ salaries. Also, there will be deductions on taxes on certain consumer products that are not necessities. Some of the products are tobacco, cosmetics, perfumes, and drinks.
The reason for this is so that the government can pay the 50,000 Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland which is also known as VDP. The VDP will help in fighting against insurgency and each volunteer will receive CFAF 60,000 monthly.
See Also: 10 Safest African Countries In 2023
12. Sankara and Traore Hold the Same Army Ranks
If you have followed this article you will recall that at some point we called both Sankara and Traoré captains. Well, that is one similarity about the soldiers.
This means that both men were junior military officers who passed the ranks of Aspirants, Second Lieutenant, and Lieutenant.
In fact, both men became presidents as captains. Now we ask, will Traoré grow beyond being a captain or he will hold the position for life just as Sankara? Only time shall tell.
13. They Are Interested in Planet Earth
When Sankara was in power, he was very much interested in the environment. He knew that environmental protection was a priority even at a time when ecological awareness was low.
Under his leadership, bush burning was a crime, cattle roaming was stopped, and also, chaotic cutting of firewood was put in check. He made it paramount for wooded strips to be planted and more food to be cultivated.
By 1987, the country had become food self-sufficient. A year after that, it was revealed that his government planted over 10 million trees.
Before we start to look at how this is similar to Traoré, it may interest you to know that Sankara also studied agriculture.
Now back to Ibrahim Traore. The world’s youngest president studied geology, the field concerned with the solid Earth.
Then in an interview with Voice of Africa in October 2022, he made a revelation about having trees without leaves and linking it to people’s suffering in the country.
Like Sankara, his quest is to protect these trees as much as he intends for food to flow in Burkina Faso, the Land of Upright Men!
14. Sankara and Traore Include Women in the Affairs of the Country
Thomas Sankara once said, “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women”. With this belief, he improved the status of women in Burkina Faso. It became a crime to force women into marriages and indulge them in female genital mutilation.
Just when you think that is interesting enough, Sankara made it even more gripping when he became the first African leader to appoint women to major cabinet positions and to recruit them actively for the military.
Over 3 decades later, Traore came to power and decided to bring women on board. He had a face-to-face meeting with over 200 women in the 13 regions of Burkina Faso.
Earlier, I mentioned that Sankara had women active in the military. Now, Traore has followed a similar suit when his government had a meeting with women and the outcome was that there would be enlistment of women as Volunteers for the Defence (VDPs).
15. Karl Max was a Major Influence on Both of Them
Before Sankara’s ideologies were fully formed and long before he became the president of his country, he read many of Karl Max’s books which helped in forming his ideologies.
Also, before Traoré’s ideologies were fully formed, he also came across Karl Max’s works. His interest led him to become an activist in the National Association of Burkina Students (ANEB), a Marxist-inspired student organization.
It is possible that we see so much of Sankara in Traore because they exposed their minds to the same person. That person is Karl Max!
16. When You See Either of Them, You’ll Definitely See a Red Beret Hanging On Their Heads
I like to call their berets red but some like to report the color as maroon. Whatever you choose to call the color, there is absolutely no way that you have come across either Sankara or Traoré and you didn’t notice their berets.
As much as this seems to be a good similarity, there is actually a good explanation as to why we know the men with their signature caps.
Burkina Faso follows the French military pattern. French Army paratroopers and special forces wear an amaranth (dark red) beret with three different caps.
This brings us to the end of drawing out similarities between Thomas Sankara and Ibrahim Traoré. But before signing out, note that inasmuch as there are great similarities that we admire about the two men, there may also be disadvantages. For instance, both are said to be impatient. You know what they say about patience and virtue.
In any case, let us see how far the men will continue to be alike. Will fate work in favor of Captain Ibrahim Traoré or will it work against him? Will he fulfill the desires of Sankara by making Burkina Faso great, or will he be betrayed by another Blaise Compaoré?
Many Africans hope Traoré surpasses Sankara. What do you think?
