Captain Ibrahim Traoré

By Babafemi Ojudu

Across the Black world — from Harlem to Lagos, from Kingston to Johannesburg — many are keeping a close and anxious watch over Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the young president of Burkina Faso. In him, we see the spirit of a continent yearning to be free, dignified, and prosperous. Every voice we can raise in his support, and every warning we can sound to his traducers, may yet count in tipping the scales of history.

Burkina Faso seems blessed with young men who possess not just bravery, but an extraordinary consciousness. What is it in their military tradition that produces figures like Thomas Sankara and now Captain Traoré? Sankara, that brilliant and beloved leader, captured the imagination of the world before he was tragically betrayed by his own comrade, Blaise Compaoré. Now, history appears to have gifted us with another son of Burkina, cut from the same rare cloth.

Captain Traoré is intelligent, deep, and circumspect — a patriot through and through. He has electrified not just the youth of Africa, but even those of us who have watched many seasons pass. He speaks plainly but with great power. His words and actions inspire hope in a generation that had begun to despair.

If the forces that destroyed Sankara and so many others do not succeed in snuffing out his life, Traoré is destined to enjoy a global following, much like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara before him. A symbol, not just for Burkina Faso, but for all who dream of dignity, justice, and true independence.

What is most admirable about Traoré is that he is not lost in abstract ideology. He is a practical man, focused on the urgent task of lifting his people out of poverty and ending the centuries-long exploitation of African resources by external powers.

“We will mine our gold ourselves — not for France, but for our people,” he once declared. What could be more just than this?

A leader — whether elected in a formal ballot or brought forth in a moment of national emergency — has one fundamental duty: to defend the interests of his people. Yet, when an African leader dares to break the chains and stand for his own, he is immediately branded dangerous, isolated, and often marked for elimination.

The hypocrisy is staggering. For decades, Africa has been called the Dark Continent, and its leaders have been accused of irresponsibility and waste. Now that a young man has emerged who seeks a different path—a path of self-reliance, accountability, and freedom—the forces of empire close ranks against him.

We must not be silent. We must speak, write, organise, and pray. We must remind the world:

Let Captain Ibrahim Traoré be.

Let him fulfil his destiny among his people. Let him lead Burkina Faso — and, by extension, Africa — toward the light that has so long been denied.