THOMAS SANKARA


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Sankara & Burkina Faso : Chronology

1896
The Mossi kingdom of Ouagadougou becomes a French protectorate. Beginning of colonization.

1932 to 1947
The colonial territory of Upper Volta is cut into pieces and split between the Ivory Coast, Mali and Niger.

21 December 1949
Thomas Sankara is born in Yako, Upper Volta.

11 December 1958 
Creation of the Republic of Upper Volta, member of the French community. Its first president, Maurice Yaméogo, is elected in December 1959.

5 August 1960 
Proclamation of the independance of Upper Volta.

3 January 1966 
Opposed by the people because of his austerity policy, Maurice Yaméogo is overthrown and replaced by the military government of Colonel Lamizana.

1966 
Sankara enters the military school of Ouagadougou.

1972 
Completing his military training in Magadascar since two years, Sankara participates in the May Revolution that overthrows the neo-colonial regime of Tsiranana. The same year, he goes to Pau, France for a parachutist course.

1976
Sankara does a course at the Rabat, Morocco parachutists' school where he makes friends with Blaise Compaoré.

25 November 1980 
Following many strikes in Upper Volta, the Lamizana government is overthrown. Colonel Saye Zerbo takes the head of a military committee for national recovery and progress.

9 September 1981 
Sankara accepts the post of secretary of state for information under Saye Zerbo. He resigns one year later in protest against the open threats to freedom, and is transferred to a faraway garrison.

7 November 1982
Saye Zarbo is overthrown and replaced by a provisional Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress. Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo becomes president.

January – May 1983 
Sankara becomes prime minister. He is suddenly arrested on 17 May, the day

4 August 1983 
Blaise Compaoré marches on Ouagadougou, frees Sankara and overthrows Ouédraogo. The National Concil of the Revolution takes power and Sankara becomes president.

4 August 1984 
First anniversary of the revolution. Upper Volta becomes Burkina Faso, « the Land of the Upright Men ».

September – December 1984
22 September is proclaimed the day of solidarity with housewives in Ouagadougou. Men are invited to perform household chores that were the women's privilege until then. On 4 October, Sankara makes a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. From 5-9 November, Sankara visits China. On 25 November, he launches a vaccination campaign for Burkinabés under15 years old. On 31 December, rents for the year 1985 are suspended and he launches a house-building program.

1985 
Launching of a massive reafforestation campaign. A national conference for women is held from 1-8 March.

1986
Literacy campaign for national languages. In October, Sankara visits the Soviet Union. On 17 November, French president François Mitterand visits Ouagadougou.

1987 
The National Union of Burkina Farmers is created on 11 April. From 8-11 October an Anti-Apartheid Pan African conference is held in Ouagadougou.

15 October 1987 
Along with twelve of his colleagues, Sankara is executed by a military squad. Blaise Compaoré takes power and replaces the National Committee for the Revolution by a Popular Front. He starts a policy of « rectification of the Revolution ».

1991
Blaise Compaoré is elected president of the Republic in a democratic vote that is boycotted by the main opposition parties.

28 December 2005 
A main Ouagadougou avenue is renamed after Sankara.

15 October 2007 
On the twentieth anniversary of Sankara's death, his widow Mariam Serme who lives in exile, comes back for the first time to Burkina Faso and visits his presumed grave.

November 2010
Blaise Compaoré is elected for a fourth mandate of president of Faso.