Burkina Faso: A look back at the solemn military tribute to Captain Thomas Sankara
The fourth military tribute ceremony for Captain Thomas Sankara, father of the August 1983 Revolution, was held this Thursday under the presidency of the Minister Director of Cabinet of the President of Faso, Captain Martha Céleste Anderson Dekomwin MÉDAH. Representing the Head of State, he emphasized the profoundly symbolic nature of the ceremony, which “reminds us of the timelessness of the man, his work, and his struggle.”
The ceremony unfolded in two distinct acts: the grand changing of the guard at the Thomas Sankara Memorial, followed by the ceremonial exit of the horses.
This solemn military display aimed to honor the memory of the revolutionary leader in accordance with armed forces traditions.
The Minister Director of Cabinet forcefully recalled the commitment of Captain Sankara to “a sovereign, independent, proud, and prosperous Burkina Faso.”
He drew a direct historical continuity between this legacy and the current action of the President of Faso, stating: “Today this torch is carried by Comrade Captain Ibrahim TRAORÉ (…) and we are millions who claim the heritage of Captain Thomas SANKARA.”
In a call to Burkinabe youth, Captain MÉDAH urged strengthened solidarity and unity around the “Leader of the Popular Progressive Revolution, Captain Ibrahim TRAORÉ.”
This mobilization was presented as the essential condition to “honor the memory of the Father of the August 1983 Revolution with dignity.”
This official ceremony confirms the institutional appropriation of the Sankarist figure by the current authorities.
It establishes a claimed political lineage between the 1983 revolution and the contemporary political movement, while integrating this memory into the state’s protocol rituals.
Olivier TOE
