“‘Africa needs a new type of citizen. A dedicated, modest, honest and informed man. A man who submerges himself in service to the nation and mankind. A man who abhors greed and detests vanity. A new type of man whose humility is his strength and whose integrity is his greatness.” -Kwame Nkrumah
“Africa doesn’t need the World Bank, IMF, Europe, or America.” – Captain Ibrahim Traore
In the heart of West Africa, from the soil of Burkina Faso, once watered by the blood of martyrs and dreams of revolutionaries, a young lion has risen. Captain Ibrahim Traore, just 36 years of age, has become a living embodiment of Africa’s yearning for a future unshackled from neo-colonialism. His leadership signals a rebirth—a new dawn for a continent long betrayed by its own elite and bled by foreign interests.
African Proverb: “When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the branches.”
In seizing power not for personal gain but for national regeneration, Traore is setting fire to the thrones of complacency. His words cut through the fog of dependency like a sword: “We do not need the IMF or World Bank to know what our children eat or how our land should be tilled.” These are not just statements— they are battle cries for sovereignty.
A Soldier Turned Statesman: The Birth of a Revolutionary
Born on March 14, 1988, in Kera, Burkina Faso, Captain Traore did not enter history through inherited privilege but through commitment to a just cause. His rise to power in September 2022 via a popular-backed coup was not an accident but a response to the failures of puppetry politics. By toppling Paul-Henri Sandaogo
Damiba, he echoed the footsteps of Thomas Sankara, reclaiming the revolutionary legacy long stifled by compromise.
Revolutionary Quote: “He who feeds you, controls you.” — Thomas Sankara
Traore came not as a usurper but as a guardian of the people’s voice. His legitimacy is drawn from his willingness to bleed for the land, not from the pages of foreign diplomas or IMF boardrooms.
Governance Rooted in the People’s Needs
Traore’s Burkina Faso is not a state of slogans, but of substance. Under his stewardship, the country’s GDP grew from $18.8 billion to $22.1 billion. More remarkably, internal debts were paid—a feat that testifies to his belief in African solutions to African problems.
African Proverb: “A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning.”
In contrast, Traore uses logic, numbers, and national pride—not bullets—to lead.
Agricultural Revolution: Cultivating the Future
Understanding that “a hungry nation cannot defend its freedom,” Traore launched an aggressive agricultural support program. His government distributed:
• 400 tractors • 239 tillers • 710 motor pumps • 714 motorcycles
These tools were seeds of transformation. From 2022 to 2024:
• Tomato production soared from 315,000 to 360,000 metric tonnes • Millet yields rose from 907,000 to 1.1 million metric tonnes • Rice production climbed from 280,000 to 326,000 metric tonnes
African Proverb: “You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down.”
Traore is not theorising; he is doing. He is not speaking development, he is delivering it.
Infrastructure and Industrialisation: Laying Foundations of Sovereignty
Traore’s developmental agenda is ambitious yet grounded. He is building an airport (Ouagadougou-Donsin) to connect Burkina to the world—but on Burkinabe terms. He is constructing tomato processing plants and gold mines, signalling the end of raw material export dependency.
Kwame Nkrumah: “We must unite now or perish.”
His actions resonate with Nkrumah’s urgency. Traore is uniting sectors, people, and purpose to break the cycles of poverty and patronage.
Cultural Renaissance and National Dignity
Beyond economics, Traore understands the power of symbols. When he banned British legal wigs and gowns, replacing them with traditional attire, he wasn’t just altering a dress code. He was reclaiming a stolen identity. He expelled French troops and banned French media—decisions made not in hatred, but in honour of sovereignty.
Revolutionary Quote: “Colonialism is not a machine to be taken apart easily. It is a knife at the throat of the nation.” — Frantz Fanon
The Shadows of Struggle: Security and Human Rights Concerns
Yet no revolution is without its trials. Reports by Human Rights Watch reveal troubling accounts of civilian killings, especially among the Fulani people, and growing insecurity, with over 60% of the nation outside government control.
African Proverb: “Even the best cooking pot will not produce food.”
Progress must not blind leadership to justice. A balance must be struck between defending the nation and defending the dignity of every citizen. Traore must not become what he once resisted.
Pan-African Fire: Lighting the Torch Across the Continent
Traore’s voice is not isolated. It echoes across a continent still thirsting for the dream of Lumumba, Sankara, and Nkrumah.
Kwame Nkrumah: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.”
He is joined, in spirit, by leaders like John Dramani Mahama, signaling a reawakening of transgenerational solidarity. Burkina Faso, under Traore, is becoming a lighthouse to lost ships.
Captain Traore: “We are writing history, and there is no room for cowardice.”
Rhetorical Reflections: The Mirror to Africa’s Soul
• Who benefits from Africa’s underdevelopment while sitting at lavish tables built on African sweat?
• What future do we promise our children if we barter away today’s courage for tomorrow’s regret?
• When will Africa stop begging for crumbs while sitting on a feast of gold, oil, and fertile land?
Revolutionary Quote: “If the people are prepared to die for their rights, they will win them.” — Amílcar Cabral.
Food for thought: the wisdom meal
1. “When you cut down a tree in the forest, many more sprout in its place.” Let those who plot in shadows be warned: if you strike down Traore, know that tenfold more resolute and fearless Traores shall rise from the soil of Africa—more dreadful in their convictions, more rooted in their purpose.
The voice of a people cannot be silenced by bullets or betrayal. Like the baobab, this movement’s roots go deep; you may burn the branches, but the roots will always birth new growth.
“A child who has never gone hungry does not understand the pain of an empty bowl.” To those who have looted Africa’s gold, oil, cocoa, and diamonds while her children chew on hunger, your feast has lasted long enough. The earth cries, and the people stir. Let Africa’s wealth feed its rightful owners. Let not the hands that built empires from African sweat be left trembling from starvation. For the pot of injustice always boils over, and when it does, no one escapes the scalding.
“If you cannot build a hut, do not destroy the one we have roofed.” To those who sabotage progress under the guise of partnership or aid, stay away. We are planting our own future with our own hands. Burkina Faso’s leadership has shown courage and clarity; let all Africans look and learn. We do not need puppeteers— we need unity.
“Even the smallest axe can fell the tallest iroko tree if it keeps striking.” Africa is rising, and those who cannot help should not hinder. Path Forward: Wisdom for the Watchman
To Traore—and all African leaders who dare to lead with purpose—we offer these guiding flames:
Hold fast to Pan-African unity—for no nation can stand alone on a fractured continent.
Resist validation from former colonisers—the true judge is the well-being of your people.
Engage globally, but stand proudly—trade as equals, not as subjects. Marry revolution with democracy—build institutions, not cults of personality. Beware internal betrayal—for as Nkrumah warned, “the greatest enemies of Africa are sometimes Africans in power serving foreign masters.” Conclusion: Writing a New Chapter of African Greatness
Captain Ibrahim Traore is not just a name in the headlines—he is a metaphor for what Africa can become. A continent where youth lead, where culture is not erased but elevated, and where freedom is not granted, but earned.
Patrice Lumumba: “Africa will write its own history, and it will be, to the north and south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity.”
Let us rise. Let us build. Let us dare to believe again.
African Proverb: “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”
Traore is teaching the lion to write.
CHOO BOI! with us. AFRICA CANNOT WAIT ANY FURTHER.
