Blaise Compaore, Thomas Sankara, Afolabi Gambari,

By Afolabi Gambari

The man on the left of the photo above (Blaise Compaore) was 36 years old in 1987. Today, he is 70 years old. He was boyhood friend to the man on the right (Thomas Sankara). They lived together in the home of Thomas whose parents (Papa Joseph and Madame Marguerite) adopted Blaise as their own son and showered on him all the love and care that dutiful parents shower on their offspring. Indeed, Papa Sankara took both Thomas and Blaise to the Army where he got them enlisted and wished for the brotherly friends a bright future together.

As fate would have it, Thomas’ star shot higher in the Army and he became head of state of their country, Burkina Faso. The fate also made Blaise fall behind his friend in hierarchy, although they ran the government together – to the pride and joy of Papa Joseph and Madame Marguerite who saw the friends grow from boys to men.

Blaise soon became jealous of Thomas, as the latter’s star continued to rise, shooting up to far places and even beyond, thanks largely to the vision that he brought to bear on his mission as their country’s leader. Jealousy got upgraded to pure hatred. In no time, Blaise led a conspiracy that ended in the brutal killing of Thomas on October 15 1987 (exactly 35 years ago today).

Papa Joseph and Madame Marguerite were devastated to learn that Blaise had killed Thomas. But, rather than being bitter, they continued to regard Blaise as their son who could make mistakes and sought to have him explain what went wrong that led to a brother killing his own brother brutally in a hail of bullets. Although Blaise received the solemn invitation, he could not summon the courage to go face the Sankaras again. Papa Joseph waited for Blaise to honour his call, to no avail. He could bear the agony no more, he passed on soon after.

Of course, through sheer betrayal, Blaise became the Burkinabe leader on October 15 1987, succeeding his bosom friend that he just eliminated. He would spend the next 27 years in power dictatorially and ruthlessly but without a clear vision for the country, he desperately sought to lead. He was ever so afraid of his own shadow – for obvious reasons. Not a few believed he was haunted by Thomas’ ghost throughout his nearly three-decade reign. Ironically (or tragically, if you like), he could still neither eclipse his friend’s star nor even surpass his friend’s record of selfless service to humanity.

In the end, he was chased out of power ignominiously by a popular revolt and into exile in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire where he has lived in the last seven years, struggling so hard in the first two years to secure the Ivorien citizenship – for obvious reasons. Even still, he cannot move around in the adopted country without watching over his shoulders.

While Blaise is now at his lowest ebb today, aged 70 years and eight months and twelve days, Sankara continues to shine in death, a huge monument already raised in his honour in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou – a deified figure! It can only get worse for Blaise; with himself (though in absentia) and his co-conspirators currently on trial in Ouagadougou over the killing of his friend – a whole 35 years ago. O God Almighty, your power is truly awesome! Gal 6:7 is real, isn’t it?

Maybe, on this world-acclaimed day, Blaise would see the truth very clearly in Isaiah 48:22. Maybe not. It is solely between him and his conscience.

But, one thing is certain, undebatable: Thomas Sankara is being remembered today in Burkina Faso and around the world for his good deeds. And he lives on!

*Prince Afolabi Gambari, journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos