We Are the Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983-87, 2nd Edition

We are the Heirs of the World's Revolutions is a very important read for anyone interested in the black diaspora. Thomas Sankara was revolutionary who's words still echo in today's political sphere. Universal health care, equal pay/rights for women, the green movement, and whole list of amazing policies he enacted in his short period as president of his country was amazing. Highly recommended read.

This book was a great rememberence of Capitain Thomas Sankara who is my idole, the book helps me understand more who he was and what did he want his country and our great continent. It is unfortunate that he was not well undeerrstood by some of his countrymates unlike the Western continents people. His speeches in thie book were more than appealing to the Burkinabe to look forward a better future and more independent than ever before. Peace be upon him may his soul rest in peace.Amen

I love this man & what he stood for. He's defenitly one of those figures that may have been lost in time, but his words still resonate w/ power this very day.

Very good read.

Very good book with important speeches of Thomas Sankara and his vision of the revolution.

Item delivered on time, was as described

A deep call to the truth and gallant rise in its defense. Excellent!

This is a selection of five speeches by Thomas Sankara, the central leader of the 1983-87 revolution in the west African country of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta). The revolution was initiated in August, 1983, when a group of military officers seized power and appealed for support from the masses of Burkinabè workers and peasants. It ended when Sankara was assassinated in a military coup. During those four years the revolution proved to be "a movement of the immense majority for the benefit of the immense majority," as Sankara stated in a speech in October, 1983The Burkina Faso revolution sought to educate and mobilize the masses of working people to work together to climb out of the social and economic backwardness that had been imposed on them by French imperialism. The revolutionary leadership organized the masses of people to lay the basis for economic development, to provide food, jobs and housing for all, to expand the accessibility of medical care and primary education to the great majority of the people of this very poor and underdeveloped country.One major obstacle to progress in Burkina Faso was the degradation of women and the suppression of their capacities to work in all areas of social endeavor. The revolution strove to elevate women's status, to take major strides toward equality in all fields and to encourage them to provide leadership at all levels. As Sankara argued, "we do not talk of women's emancipation as an act of charity or because of a surge of human compassion. It is a basic necessity for the triumph of the revolution. Women hold up the other half of the sky."The Burkinabè revolution mobilized millions in the campaign to counteract the southward spread of the north African desert. As Sankara explained, "ten million trees have been planted under the auspices of a People's Development Program lasting fifteenmonths-a first venture while the five-year plan was being prepared. . . . Explained in this way, our struggle to defend the trees and the forest is first and foremost a democratic struggle that must be waged by the people. The sterile and expensive excitement of a handful of engineers and forestry experts will accomplish nothing! "One week before his assassination Sankara gave a speech on the twentieth anniversary of the death of Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist who helped lead the Cuban revolution. Indicating the impact of Che's example within the Burkina Faso revolution, Sankara said, "Every time we think of Che, we will try to be like him, to make this man, the fighter, live again. And especially, every time we think of acting like him, in the spirit of self-sacrifice, in the rejection of bourgeois wealth that tries to alienate us, in refusing the easy path, but also by turning to education and the rigorous discipline of revolutionary morality-every time we try to act in this way, we will have better served Che's ideas and made them known more effectively."

This book is a must-read for anyone that wants a peephole into a time of colonies & a great leader that was stolen from a nation that was making amazing strives towards their utopia.

Thomas Sankara ist neben Julius Nyerere und Nelson Mandela der eindrucksvollste Staatsmann des nachkolonialen Afrika. Aus sehr einfachen Verhältnissen stammend, wurde er nicht im 'Westen' und nicht in Moskau oder Peking ausgebildet, sondern in seinem Heimatland 'Obervolta' und auf Madagaskar. Weil er nicht nur philosophierte, sondern auch machte, wurde er 1987 ermordet. Seine Gedanken zum Beispiel zur ökologischen Entwicklung seines bettelarmen Landes und zur Gleichberechtigung von Frauen auch in der Armee sind heute als Redemanuskripte von einem kleinen kanadischen Verlag erhalten. Nach wie vor aktuell und lesenswert und zum Beispiel in Gütters 'Fluchtursachen' richtig eingeordnet. Afrikaner*innen sollten sich an Sankara erinnern, um ihren Kontinent weiter zu entwickeln.

After reading this book, I now understand why they killed Thomas Sankara. His vision for Africa was very clear. Total independence of Africa and this scares most powerful countries in the world because of loosing control. Sankara was a true Pan African gallant leader. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the minds of Pan African leaders and why imperialists don't like them.

Amazing inspiring a must have!!!

Fantastic!! What a legend.