MOSCOW (Sputnik), Tommy Yang – Despite the apparent political chaos following two military coups in Burkina Faso in 2022, young activists in the Western African country explained to Sputnik why they largely supported political changes they viewed as opposing France’s colonial influence.
While the spirit of Thomas Sankara may be behind the recent coup in Burkina Faso, his vision remains an inspiration for everyone, everywhere, committed to anti-imperialism and third world autonomy.
War is a plague! My country might disappear! I tell you, war is not a solution! War has no friends nor allies, and there are no real enemies. All people are suffering from this war: Burkina, Ivory Coast… everyone! War rages everywhere in Africa, especially in the North and in the Center of Mali. Hey African people, War is not a solution! War is not a good thing, my poor Malian people. If we are not able to make peace, the whole world will laugh at us. Ageloc, Timbuktu, Kidal War has never built anything; it destroys all that it finds. My country might disappear in a war and its betrayals! War is in Timbuktu, war is everywhere in Mali… Let’s avoid war because it has never built anything.
During the recent anti-French protests, Nigeriens and Burkinabes waved Russian flags. This signals that Africans are moving away from their former colonial masters as they seek alternative partnerships to help them develop.