”Our revolution in Burkina Faso draws on the totality of man’s experiences since the first breath of humanity. We wish to be the heirs of all the revolutions of the world, of all the liberation struggles of the peoples of the Third World. We draw the lessons of the American revolution. The French revolution taught us the rights of man. The great October revolution brought victory to the proletariat and made possible the realization of the Paris Commune’s dreams of justice.” —Thomas Sankara , October 1984 Thomas Sankara led the revolution of 1983 to 1987 in Burkina Faso. In the five speeches contained in this pamphlet, he explains how the peasants and workers of this West African country established a popular revolutionary government and began to fight the hunger, illiteracy and economic backwardness imposed by imperialist domination, and the oppression of women inherited from millennia of class society. In so doing, they have provided an example not only to the workers and small farmers of Africa, but to those of the entire world. Also available in Spanish (ISBN: 9780873489928), French (ISBN: 9780873489959), Arabic (ISBN: 9789922246918), Farsi (ISBN: 9789645783066). "Our revolution in Burkina Faso draws on the totality of man's experiences since the first breath of humanity. We wish to be the heirs of all the revolutions of the world, of all the liberation struggles of the peoples of the Third World. We draw the lessons of the American revolution. The French revolution taught us the rights of man. The great October revolution brought victory to the proletariat and made possible the realization of the Paris Commune's dreams of justice." --Thomas Sankara, October 1984 Thomas Sankara (1949–1987) was the central leader of the popular, democratic revolution in the West African country of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) from 1983 to 1987. Sankara entered military school in 1966. Continuing his training in Madagascar in the early 1970s, he was introduced to Marxism by students who had been part of the May 1968 upsurge in France. In Upper Volta’s army, Sankara linked up with other soldiers opposed to the conditions in the country perpetuated by the imperialist rulers in Paris and elsewhere, with the support of local landlords and businessmens. He was jailed briefly in 1982 after protesting the regime’s repressive policies. In the wake of a coup, he was appointed prime minister in January 1983. In May 1983 he and some of his supporters were arrested by President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo. In August 1983, the Ouédraogo regime was overthrown in a popular uprising. Sankara became president of the new National Council of the Revolution, opening four years of revolutionary activity by peasants, workers, women, and youth. He was assassinated and the revolutionary government was overthrown in a coup by Blaise Compaoré on October 15, 1987. Sankara’s speeches and writing are collected in: Thomas Sankara Speaks (1988) Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle (1990) We Are Heirs of the World’s Revolutions (2002) Used Book in Good Condition