Thread by @Farida_N

In July 1987, one African president bravely asked that all African countries unite against colonial debts. He mentioned that his initiative could get him killed and indeed three months later, he was assassinated on the orders of France: Thomas #Sankara
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On July 29,1987 Thomas #Sankara, president of Burlington Faso delivered a vibrant speech at the OAU Summit calling all African leaders to demand debt cancelation from colonial powers to put an end to the plundering of African nations in the repayment of colonial debts.

“We think that debt has to be seen from the perspective of its origins. Debt’s origins come from colonialism’s origins. Those who lend us money are those who colonized us. They are the same ones who used to manage our states and economies. “ Thomas Sankara

“Debt is neo-colonialism, in which colonizers have transformed themselves into “technical assistants.” We should rather say “technical assassins.” They present us with financing, with financial backers. As if someone’s backing could create development.” Thomas Sankara

“Under its current form, controlled and dominated by imperialism, debt is a skillfully managed reconquest of Africa, intended to subjugate its growth and development through foreign rules.” Thomas Sankara

“Thus, each one of us becomes the financial slave, which is to say a true slave, of those who had been treacherous enough to put money in our countries with obligations for us to repay. We are told to repay, but it is not a moral issue.” Thomas Sankara

“We cannot repay because we don’t have any means to do so.
We cannot pay because we are not responsible for this debt.
We cannot repay but the others owe us what the greatest wealth could never repay, that is blood debt.” Thomas Sankara

“When we are told about economic crisis, nobody says that this crisis has come about suddenly. The crisis had always been there but it got worse each time that popular masses become more and more conscious of their rights against exploiters”. Thomas Sankara

“We are in a crisis today because the masses refuse that wealth be concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. We are in crisis because some people are saving enormous sums of money in foreign bank accounts that would be enough to develop Africa.” Thomas Sankara

Each time an African country buys a weapon it is against an African country. It is not against a European country, it is not against an Asian country. It is against an African country. Consequently we should take advantage of the debt issue to solve the weapons problem. Sankara