THOMAS SANKARA’S IDEAS SPREAD AT NIGER’S REVOLUTIONARY TRAINING CENTRE

A revolutionary Pan-African political education centre was inaugurated on 15 April in Niamey, Niger, to educate students as part of the broader attempt in Africa’s Sahel region to fortify the revolution that kicked off a few years ago with people-backed coups d’état that ousted Western-aligned leaders.

The Thomas Sankara Centre for African Liberation and Unity, run by @burkinabooks (IG), is the second location of its kind.

After developing a similar library and political education centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the project has expanded to work with Niger’s student population in Niamey. 

REMEMBERING THE 1866 MEMPHIS MASSACRE

Today marks the 159th anniversary of the Memphis Massacre, a three-day outbreak of White supremacist violence that began on the afternoon of 1 May 1866, in Memphis, Tennessee.

The violence was sparked when local police attempted to disperse a gathering of Black Union soldiers and their families. They were gathered to celebrate their recent discharge and assert their new rights as free citizens. This type of public assembly was common in the Reconstruction-era South, where newly freed Blacks often used gatherings to organise politically, socially, and enjoy basic freedoms that had been denied under slavery.

Continued….. The crowd refused to disband, and though the officers initially withdrew, one accidentally shot himself in the leg. This incident was falsely blamed on the Black soldiers, and panic quickly spread throughout the city with rumours of a planned Black uprising.

Within hours, a mob composed of White police officers, firemen and civilians formed and launched violent attacks in Black neighbourhoods. What began as aggression toward Black soldiers quickly escalated into a broader assault on the entire Black community. Over the course of three days, 46 Black residents were murdered, around 75 more were injured, and multiple Black women were r*ped. Black homes, schools and churches were looted, burned and destroyed. White Northerners - particularly missionaries and educators working in Black schools - were also attacked. Federal troops were ultimately required to bring the violence to an end.

The massacre had far-reaching national consequences. A Congressional committee, led by Radical Republicans, launched an investigation. The committee’s report singled out Irish-American police officers as key aggressors and pointed to tensions between Irish immigrants and Black workers competing for labour as a root cause. However, the investigation overlooked the role of other White Southerners in the violence and the broader resentment towards the empowerment of Black soldiers in post-Civil War Memphis.

No criminal charges were brought against the perpetrators.

Sources

https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/1866-memphis-massacre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_massacre_of_1866

https://www.memphis.edu/memphis-massacre/

BURKINA FASO’S ELDERS: ‘WE SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT’

Burkina Faso’s Popular and Progressive Revolution is a movement of the youth. Its leader, President Ibrahim Traoré, at 36, is the world’s youngest head of state. However, the struggle is also intergenerational, and senior citizens expressed their support for the revolutionary process as they marched on 26 April in the city of Bobo Dioulasso.

They held signs praising President Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkinabé military and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP), a people’s fighting force.

Burkina Faso ousted a Western-aligned leader in 2022 through a people-backed coup d’état, bringing Traoré to power.

Continued….. On 6 July 2024, the country co-founded the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with Mali and Niger, both of which booted Western-aligned leaders in similarly people-backed coups. Since then, the countries have expelled French troops and reclaimed natural resources from foreign corporations. They aim to establish a federal Pan-African state as the first step toward building continental unity. The three countries are the flag bearers of the Pan-African revolution underway on the continent.

Video credit: @rtburkina

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

Seen yesterday in London’s historic rally in support of the revolutionary process in Burkina Faso and its leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

The talented Conroy Green painted the portrait of Traoré. You can find him on IG @conroy_green

On 30 April 1975, Vietnam defeated US imperialism as the North Vietnamese forces liberated the city of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in the south of the country. This ended an almost a three-decade-long struggle, first against the country's French colonisers and then against the US military. 

The US invasion in Vietnam k*lled at least 3.8 million Vietnamese people, forced roughly 11.7 million South Vietnamese from their homes, and injured up to 4.8 million due to exposure to Agent Orange and other chemicals. Nevertheless, Vietnam triumphed, shattering the illusion of Western invincibility and serving as a model for revolutionaries across the colonised world. Argentine revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara (1928-67) famously declared, ‘Create two, three, many Vietnams.’

Continued……Vietnamese revolutionaries were also friends of Africa. In his memoirs, Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969), fondly referred to as ‘Uncle Ho,’ wrote that while in New York, he enjoyed listening to passionate African activists and organisers rallying their people in Harlem. He also mentioned a profound admiration for Jamaica-born Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), whom Ho Chi Minh credits for contributing to his anti-colonial fervour and commitment.  

Later, as the president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (or North Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh was close to several African revolutionaries. Mali's great Pan-African leader, Modibo Keïta (1915-77), who visited Vietnam in 1964, was one of Uncle Ho’s close allies. However, Guinea, under the leadership of President Ahmed Sekou Touré (1922-84), became the first African country to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam. Sekou Touré visited the Southeast Asian country in 1960. Many other African revolutionaries from Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72) to Angolan President Agostinho Neto (1922-79) and the MPLA maintained positive ties with Vietnam throughout the liberation struggle.

Long live the beautiful friendship between the African and Vietnamese people!

Sources

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/vietnam-declared-independence/

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/30/vietnam-war-anniversary-landmines-bombs/

https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/518

https://www.blackagendareport.com/unknown-connection-between-marcus-garvey-and-ho-chi-minh

https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/humanities-moment/the-ho-chi-minh-and-marcus-garvey-connection/

https://baotanglichsu.vn/fr/Album/49/quelques-images-sur-le-president-ho-chi-minh-envers-le-musee-dhistoire-du-vietnam-et-le-musee-de-la-revolution-du-vietnam-musee-national-dhistoire-du-vietnam-actuel

https://modibo-keita.site/soutien-aux-mouvements-de-liberation-nationale/

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relations_entre_la_Guinée_et_le_Viêt_Nam

https://web.archive.org/web/20110728155636/http://www.vietnamembassy-angola.org/nr070521165956/ns070920094601

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola–Vietnam_relations#cite_note-b-2

https://www.eaumf.org/ejm-blog/2018/2/21/february-21-1966-nkrumah-departs-for-peace-mission-in-hanoi

http://baochi.nlv.gov.vn/baochi/cgi-bin/baochi?a=d&d=Qik19600917.2.3&srpos=&dliv=none&e=-------vi-20--1--img-txIN------

LONDON COMES OUT IN DEFENCE OF BURKINA FASO

You may have seen our new video about people coming out all over the world in support of Burkina Faso and its revolutionary leader Ibrahim Traoré. In this video, we get in amongst the crowd at Wednesday’s rally outside the US embassy in London. We hear from some of the participants about what motivated them to hit the streets. Recall that ominous signs have been coming out of the Pentagon regarding Traoré, leading to speculation that some kind of intervention is on the way. Think Lumumba, think Sankara, think Gaddafi. What are you doing to defend our Sahel revolutionaries?

Sources
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJEm2DENvR1/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/4/15/western-leaders-insist-gaddafi-must-go

https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/02/magazine/the-cia-and-lumumba.html

African masses are reimagining life based on their love for the revolution underway in real time in the Sahel region.

In this picture generated by artificial intelligence (AI), a Burkinabè soldier grins as he admires piles of gold bars before him. Two Western soldiers, marked by French and US flags, stand outside the window. 

For Africans, the French and US flags symbolise centuries of exploitation and domination. Meanwhile, the Burkinabè soldier represents a changing tide: African wealth being reclaimed by Africans.

Continued……. The West has long employed neocolonial methods to maintain its control over resources. Global institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank require ‘reforms’ that create dependency in exchange for loans. Multinationals exploit weak regulations. Imperialist intervention is camouflaged as ‘peacekeeping.’ France, in particular, maintains a grip on former colonies through the CFA franc, mining deals and military bases.

Burkina Faso, now under the leadership of President Ibrahim Traoré, has become a star of African resistance. Traoré follows in the footsteps of assassinated Burkinabé President Thomas Sankara (1949-87) by nationalising assets, driving out French troops and forging alliances outside of the Western bloc.

Increasing African cohesion and resource ownership is an existential threat to neocolonialism. The West has never wanted an organised, self-ruling Africa, as seen with the assassinations of figures like Democratic Republic of the Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba (1925-61), Sankara, and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011).

Nowadays, the pan-Africanism ideology is becoming more popular due to social media, AI art, local knowledge systems, and a growing refusal to accept exploitation. Images are tools of resistance and blueprints for a future where Africans determine their fate.

Burkina Faso's audacity is not just in reclaiming gold. It’s about refusing to be ruled by extraction economics. It’s about asserting a future where Africa’s resources serve African people.

Image credit: @osoriaasibor (X)

Sources

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/multinational-companies-reaping-from-africas-natural-resources-including-from-illicit-financial-flows-while-locals-benefit-only-marginally-says-columnist

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2784064

https://www.cadtm.org/Africa-How-France-Continues-to-Dominate-Its-Former-Colonies-in-Africa

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/how-world-profits-from-africa-s-wealth--1366950#:~:text=The%20report%20contends%20that%20while%2043%20per,pushing%20economic%20models%20that%20fuel%20poverty%20and

https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/%28E%29%20AfricanBank%202007%20Ch4.pdf

https://sdg-action.org/from-resource-curse-to-blessing-harnessing-africas-green-minerals

https://internationalmagz.com/articles/legacy-of-revolutionary-thomas-sankara

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/29/747066/new-dawn-sahel-president-traore-burkina-faso-anti-imperialist-rebirth

https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00092614.html

https://www.eurasiareview.com/03032025-the-west-fears-its-losing-africa-oped

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=431249871747507

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-west-afraid-of-united-Africa

https://thehill.com/opinion/4879564-africa-sahel-geopolitics-alliance

https://www.africanews.com/2024/07/07/coup-hit-nations-of-niger-mali-and-burkina-faso-form-sahel-alliance

https://theconversation.com/how-new-media-platforms-have-become-powerful-across-africa-107294

https://www.socialistalternative.org/2024/10/17/youth-revolt-sweeps-africa/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kwame-Nkrumah

PAN-AFRICANS WORLDWIDE RALLY FOR TRAORÉ

It’s become increasingly clear that the West has its sights on Ibrahim Traoré - and Africans around the world are rallying to protect him. Two recent developments have put people on heightened alert: news of another coup attempt in Burkina Faso, and slanderous remarks against its revolutionary president in the US senate - in what looks like part of a propaganda campaign to tarnish his reputation. There’s also the fact the Pentagon is in talks with Ivory Coast, Burkina’s neighbour, which Ouagadougou has long suspected as a centre of malign plots against it. Be it in the streets of Ghana, of Italy or of the UK, the pan-African spirit of resistance has been on display globally as fears of a US intervention in Burkina Faso to topple Traoré grow. The message is clear: we will not allow them to do what they did to Thomas Sankara!

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-65mz3__d8

https://mimimefoinfos.com/pan-africanist-kemi-seba-rallies-support-for-ibrahim-traore-ahead-of-major-demonstration-in-burkina-faso/amp/

https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/general_langley_opening_statements.pdf

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/04/10/meet-ibrahim-traore-burkina-fasos-retro-revolutionary

https://wacsi.org/a-resounding-ovation-what-ibrahim-traores-reception-reveals-about-the-youths-perception-of-leadership/

https://www.trt.global/afrika-english/article/03eb4ce7df6c

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/akon-hails-ibrahim-traor%C3%A9-in-new-song

Continued….. Former army members have long contended that the stop was not coincidental. Just days prior, the FBI-led Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force (JTTF) had issued an All Points Bulletin (APB) seeking ‘a Black woman with possibly two male companions.’

Sundiata Acoli was driving, Assata Shakur sat in the front passenger seat, and Zayd Malik Shakur was in the rear. After requesting identification from Acoli and claiming inconsistencies, Harper ordered him to step out and moved to question him behind the vehicle.

What followed remains disputed. A gunfight broke out, during which Zayd Malik Shakur was k*lled instantly. Assata Shakur was shot while raising her hands and later wounded. Acoli fled the scene but was later apprehended. 

Despite Harper admitting to having shot and k*lled Zayd, police charged Assata and Acoli with the murder of Foerster. Assata was also charged with killing Zayd.

In 1979, Black Liberation Army members helped Assata escape prison. She was later granted political asylum in Cuba, where she has lived since 1984. In 2013, the Obama administration named Shakur 'Most Wanted T*rrorist,' placing a $2 million bounty on her and making our elder sister the first woman to appear on the FBI's list.

Acoli was released in May 2022 after serving nearly 50 years in prison.

We hail these Black liberation fighters.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/10/sundiata-acoli-black-panthers-released-prison

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/03/archives/panther-trooper-slain-in-shootout-woman-sought-in-killing-of.html

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/joanne-deborah-chesimard

https://blackagendareport.com/content/not-your-daddys-cointelpro-obama-brands-assata-shakur-most-wanted-terrorist