Ibrahim Traoré, the interim President of Burkina Faso who ascended to power following a popular overthrow from power of former leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September 2022.
Although military coups are regarded as an affront in modern African politics, Traoré’s pro-poor rule – real or perceived – has been positively received by a population for too long subjected to misrule, corruption and nepotism, among others.
At only 37, he is one of Africa’s youngest leaders. Perhaps a breath of fresh air, depending on one’s standpoint. But Traore’s popularity appears to have shot through the roof. Not only is he redefining politics in the Sahel Region, he is aggressively reshaping the role of Burkina Faso in continental politics and global relations.
In his own way, Traoré is rewriting Africa’s script from an Afrocentric point of view, insisting at every opportunity that the time for Africa’s exploitation is past.
One of his key priorities has been to move his country away from the claws of the colonial power, France. Bilateral relations between France and Burkina Faso are currently at their lowest in history. On the international front, Traoré is hard to ignore. Legendary African-American soul singer R Kelly, currently serving a lengthy prison sentence in the US, recently released a hit single praising Traoré as the protector of his people.
Recently, Traoré wrote a scathing letter to the new Roman Catholic Pope Leo at the Vatican, calling on the church to stand with Africa as the continent seeks to rebuild from centuries of colonial subjugation.
Pope Leo wasted no time and replied to the Burkinabe leader, indeed agreeing that the church’s historical role in the oppression of Africans is a painful truth that needs to be corrected.
This week, former Africa Union Chair and veteran South African politician, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, was President Traoré’s special guest when the popular military leader was officiating at the inauguration of the mausoleum of Thomas Sankara and 12 comrades that were killed during the assassination of Sankara.
The legendary Sankara was Burkinabe military leader, Marxist and Pan-African revolutionary on whose character Traoré appears to model his character.
The hugely popular Sankara was the President of Burkina Faso from 1983. Like Traore, he also rose to power following a military coup.
Although Sankara was assassinated in 1987, his teachings and popularity continue to reverberate beyond the borders of his Motherland of Burkina Faso to this day.
