ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE OCT 2023

48 Thomas
Sankara
Quotes on
Leadership
T
he late Captain
Thomas Isidore
Noël Sankara was
a young military
who came to
power through
a coup in 1983.
However, today, most people
do not remember Sankara
as a coupist. Instead, he
is remembered for his
revolutionary speeches that
was uncharacteristically
matched with exemplary
self-abnegation; something
rarely heard of in Africa and
most other countries. In a way,
majority or people say that he
came to leadership well ahead
of the leadership development
of the continent. Indeed,
decades after his callous
betrayal and assassination by
his fellow coupist and secondin-command,
Blaise Campaore,
many public affairs analysts
say that he laid the foundation
for the recent ‘revolutionary
movements’ across the African
continent.
As Nigeria marks her 63rd
National Day activities,
the subject of leadership
deficiencies in the country
will be on top of public and
private discussions or debates.
It will be a surprise if his name
is not mentioned during such
interactions. So, what kind of
leader was he , really? What
did he believe in? Why has he
remained a reference point
nearly four decades after
his demise. The 48 quotes
presented here should give
our readers some insight.
Bear in mind too, that Thomas
Sankara did not only openly
oppose imperialism and neocolonisation.
His revolutionary
stance was focused on
enhancing how women are
treated in Africa. Indeed,
Sankara was both iconic and
charismatic as his selected
quotes show.
Thomas
Sankara
Quotes:
1. He who feeds you,
controls you.
2. Imperialism is a system
of exploitation that occurs
not only in the brutal form
of those who come with
guns to conquer territory.
Imperialism often occurs in
more subtle forms, a loan,
food aid, blackmail. We are
fighting this system that
allows a handful of men on
Earth to rule all of humanity.
3. It took the madmen of
yesterday for us to be able
to act with extreme clarity
today. I want to be one of
those madmen. We must
dare to invent the future.
4. Our revolution is
not a public-speaking
tournament. Our revolution is
46
Accomplish Magazine