The diplomatic spat between the countries of the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES), Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger indicates that western powers are desperate to stop Africa from uniting and rising to claim their rightful place in global politics and economics.
This signifies how important the continent is in balancing global politics. There is no doubt that when Africa wakes up, the entire world will succumb; hence the endless battle over Africa’s resources.
In one of his seminal speeches, Malcom X prophesied that a time will come when Africans will wake up and become intellectually independent to think for themselves.
According to Malcom X this new thinking and feeling will propel all Africans across the world to unite and bring an end to the abuse and marginalization of Africans. “It is African unity that will end the enslavement of black people”, he declared.
Growing force
In a recent video that is trending widely on social media, Harrison Ford, regarded as a cinematic cultural icon and one of the greatest actors in the world acknowledged that there is a growing force of nature at hand, which is stirring over the world.
He said, the growing force are young people who have been disappointed by global leaders. They are angry and have organized themselves to make a difference in the world. Mr. Ford described the new force as a ‘moral army” that appears unstoppable. “And the most important thing we can do for them is to get the hell out of their way”, he warned.
Mr. Ford’s video was a prelude to one of Captain Ibrahim Traore’s most inspirational speeches to African leaders. At the time of watching the video, it had hit more than 40,000 shares and still trending across the world.
In the video, Captain Traore pointed out that for centuries, Africa has carried the cross of the world, but has never worn its own crown. He stated that Africa’s pain under colonialism and exploitation have been twisted and ignored for years.
Foreign interests
Captain Traore further pointed out that Africa’s disunity and progress have been auctioned on the altar of foreign interests. He reiterated that Africa is not a battled field and a warehouse house of raw materials.
He stated that Africa is rising not to kneel, but to stand. “Africa will not kneel under the false generosity of global politics.” He argued that for decades, western powers sent aid to Africa with one hand and exploited the natural resources of Africa with another hand.
Furthermore, he noted that Western powers speak on climate change, yet they continue to fund the very forces that destroy Africa’s forests and lakes. “What kind of generosity is this, a generosity that feeds the mouth, but silences the voice, and keeps a man alive as a dependent on foreign aid.” The young African President added that Africans are not blind to the western hypocrisy. “Let me be clear that we are not ungrateful to sincere humanitarian assistance, but we reject a global order that disguises exploitation as partnership. We reject financial institutions that lend with one hand and steals sovereignty with the other.”
According to him, at this era, Africa no longer needs charity, what Africans needs is justice. “We need control over own destinies and to unchain colonialism and its modern descendants”, he added. He lamented that Burkina Faso and other African countries were never consulted when European powers met in Berlin in 1844 and divided Africa among themselves. They divided Africa without respecting Africa’s unique tribes, languages and spirits.
New face of colonialism
Captain Traore, further explained that Africa’s wounds did not begin with the current generation, they were “inherited legacies by empire builders who treated Africans as subhumans and cheap labour.” Captain Traore described colonialism as a new face –“it wears suits, it hosts forums, it signs contrasts in Paris, London, Brussels, Geneva and Washington.” However, the new colonialism continues to steal without Africa’s resources without consent, it still dictates instead of dialogue, it silences instead of listening.”
The revolutionist pointed out that peace can be attained if western powers dismantle the notion that they can teach Africans about peace. He noted that western powers must admit that centuries of their exploitation caused Africa to become poor, yet they continue to describe Africa as a poor and developing continent. He reminded western powers that, it is Africa’s gold, diamonds and the oil from the land that built and continue to build the roads, railways, the skyscrapers and the economies of the west.
GDP and richness
Captain Traore challenged the notion of economic development in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); rather he sees the human resources of Africa, especially the youth as potential indicators of development.
According to him western powers measure development when foreign companies own 90 percent of gold fields in Africa, they call it progress when security forces guard cobalt and gold mines in Africa, but they fail to notice any progress some African countries are making in education, health and water and sanitation.
He suggested that from now, Africans will define development in their own terms; development that puts children in classrooms and not minerals on cargo ships meant for Europe and the rest of the west. Captain Traore bemoaned why African countries are described as unstable when they make independent choices. “Why is that when we seek military cooperation outside the colonial sphere we are labelled as threats”?
He affirmed that Burkina Faso has chosen to walk a path of sovereignty and that should not be interpreted as a threat to peace, it is a declaration of adulthood. ‘We are no longer under your guardianship; we are no longer your junior partners in diplomacy, we are free people”, he declared. He explained that if a sovereign nation chooses partners who respect it, rather than exploiting it, that decision should not be construed as a rebellion.
“Let it be known that no foreign country will be allowed to dictate the alliances Burkina Faso should have. We will build relationships based on mutual respect, not historical guilt or present-day intimidation”, Captain Traore warned.
In that regard, he reportedly rejected a multi-million-dollar investment package offered by ex-President Barrack Obama during a recent visit to Burkina Faso. The young visionary leader popularly described as ‘” the lion” in BF is standing tall against western domination and exploitation.
African emancipation
No doubt, the gallant and charismatic President of Burkina Faso is inspiring a new wave of African emancipation. He represents the genuine struggle against western domination and exploitation.
Shortly after assuming office in 2022, the ordered the departure of French troops that were believed to be fanning the rebel attacks, rather than helping to quell it as promised.
He also expelled other western diplomats that were seen as a threat to the revolution. In addition, the biased western media like BBC, France 24 among others were closed down for their anti-African agenda-setting.
Furthermore, he abrogated all mining contracts held by western corporations and nationalized them.
Other western companies that were undertaking roads and infrastructure were replaced with locally equipped and trained contractors. He then imported thousands of road constructing machines for the local contractors.
As part of claiming the sovereignty of Burkina Faso, Captain Traore recently commissioned a tomato processing factory to process tons of fresh tomatoes for local consumption and for export to other African countries, especially Ghana.
As a sleeping giant, Ghana relies on Niger and Burkina Faso for the bulk of its onions and tomatoes. The control of local production and consumption of its own food is significant for Burkina Faso, as it pursues a paradigm shift in political and economic empowerment.
No country can genuinely claim to be independent and sovereign without food self-sufficiency. Traore, Goita and Tchiani are using their countries to demonstrate to the rest of Africa how to rise from the ashes of colonialism and to claim their sovereignties.
Dewestenisation
What started as the dewesternisation and decolonialization Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is rapidly spreading across the continent.
This new revolution appears to be unstoppable for now, despite 18 attempts to assassinate or poison Captain Ibrahim Traore. Captain Traore has even survived an attempt by his wife’s sister to poison him through a perfume she brought from Paris.
If he has used the poisoned perfume he would have died in a matter of says. Thank God, Captain Traore is more alert than a serpent. Captain Traore is the obvious target of the west because BF is the military headquarters of AES.
A former Nigeria Senator, Babafemi Ojudu has described raore as unstoppable, because many Africans are yearning for change. “We see the spirit of a continent yearning to be free, dignified and prosperous”, Mr. Ojudu noted.
Many independent political analysts see the ongoing revolutions in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as Africa’s fight for dignity and sovereignty. Like Captain Thomas Sankara, Captain Traore is walking the same Africa liberation path.
Whereas his critics, especially western powers have tagged him as a dictator, because a came to power through a military coup, the fact remains that no country has ever attained development without strong leadership. Captain Traore is the leader of a rising moral army of Africa.
God raised him at this point to lead African to the promise land. Captain Traore and Generals Assimi Goïta of Mali and Abdourahmane Tchiani are men of destiny, who are providing inspiration for African youth to reclaim their dignity and freedom.
Certainly, Africa will rise, but it must use its own feet to rise. This translates to the reality that Africa does not need the permission of power to rise and claim its right place in the world.
