Modibo Keïta, Mali’s first president, dared to dream of a sovereign Africa, one not strung along by neocolonial puppeteers. He rejected the exploitative CFA franc, nationalised key industries and backed liberation struggles across the continent. Our Facts of the Week break down why the West hated him, a bold pan-Africanist who paid the price for his anti-imperialism. He was ousted in a Western-backed coup - his dream of a united, self-reliant Africa interrupted, but never erased.