Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Much of sub-Saharan Africa has failed to develop economically and, due to the continued legacy of colonialism, remains mired in political and economic chaos, unable to provide for the basic necessities of life. The causal role of colonialism and imperialism is too obvious to ignore for a proper critical analysis. Burkina Faso, the country hitherto known as Upper Volta, is no exception. Following independence from France on August 5, 1960, Upper Volta remained in economic destitution and political turmoil until 1983, when Thomas Sankara sparked a revolutionary transformation that brought many achievements, although they remain unfulfilled. In the early twentieth century, Thomas Sankara was among the most respected modern political figures in modern Africa. In 1983 he led the National Council of the Revolution (Conseil National de la Réolution, CNR) and founded a modern African state that sought to secure total emancipation from neocolonialism and imperialism. On taking power, Sankara's first major step was to rename the landlocked West African country through asserting cultural independence and rejecting the dependent terms of development offered by the West, represented by multilateral institutions and transnational corporations ( Christoff 2007 ). The name of the former French colony was changed from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning “the land of the upright or righteous,” ... log in or subscribe to read full text