Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (Rtd), Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States, has drawn a powerful comparison between the late Burkina Faso revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara and Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings, describing them as contemporaries with a shared ideological path.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Thomas Sankara and His 12 Companions Mausoleum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Saturday, May 17, 2024, Col. Gbevlo-Lartey noted the striking similarities between the two leaders, both known for their charisma and revolutionary ideals.
“Sankara and President Rawlings were contemporaries. So, and they believed in the same kind of direction. They were two charismatic leaders in this part of the world. And then one of them got killed. So, well, President Rawlings carried on,” he said.
He emphasized that any conversation about Sankara should consider this historical and ideological connection to Rawlings.
“So, you can see that once you want to talk about Sankara, you have to look at him from that perspective, that they were two revolutionaries from this part of the world, you know, who were very close to each other, cooperated with each other. One got killed, one carried on and became, you know, a civilian president and all that,” he added.
The Government of Burkina Faso inaugurated the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum as a monumental tribute to the revolutionary and his 12 comrades who were assassinated in 1987. The event marked a significant moment in the country’s history and efforts to preserve the legacy of its fallen heroes.
Located on the very site where Sankara and his companions were killed, the mausoleum combines contemporary architecture with traditional Burkinabe craftsmanship. The expansive 20-hectare memorial complex features a museum, library, exhibition hall, and other public spaces designed to educate and inspire future generations.
A striking 87-meter monument, symbolizing the enduring legacy of Sankara, is also under construction and expected to be completed by 2028 as part of the broader memorial initiative launched in 2020.
Ghana was represented at the historic event by a high-level delegation, including Hon. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, Minister for the Interior and National Security; Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister for Government Communications; Lt. Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (Rtd), Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States; Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Chairperson of Parliament’s Security and Intelligence Committee; Naval Captain Baffour Assasie-Gyimah (Rtd), former National Security Coordinator; Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, former Minister for National Security; and other distinguished dignitaries.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
