Traore Calls For Change
Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traore on Friday called on Africans to reject the remnants of colonialism and imperialism by prioritising local production and reducing dependence on imported goods.
“Hey, Africans, are we not going to wake up? Can’t we work for ourselves and then feed ourselves and continue consuming what comes from elsewhere without even knowing what is inside?” he asked during a meeting with national forces in the city of Ouahigouya.
Traore criticised the consumption of imported goods, arguing that Africans should produce, process and consume more of what is made on the continent.
“They will continue to finish us off one way or another, and that’s what I’m telling you here – through products we inject and everything,” he warned.
Warning Against Dependence
The leader maintained that modern forms of exploitation still existed and argued that imperialism should be challenged regardless of where it originated.
“I am speaking of Africans in general, of Black people, of our history, of our current situation. Because slavery is not over. People continue slavery,” Traore claimed.
“Imperialism has no colour […] we must have the courage to identify it and fight against it,” he urged.
The military leader also argued that centuries of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade had left Africans psychologically dependent on former colonial powers, which he described as a form of ‘Stockholm syndrome’.
Push For Self-Reliance
“They traumatised us so much […] that now we love them ourselves,” he added. “If we don’t become aware of this, we are lost. We are finished.”
Burkina Faso’s push for greater self-reliance mirrors a regional shift across the Sahel, where governments have demanded a reduced French military and political presence while calling for new partnerships and greater control over their own resources.
Presidency of Burkina Faso, via Viory.Video
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