By Nayaba Arinde, Editor-at-Large | Photos courtesy: Nayaba Arinde

There is powerful exuberance overload for President Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkinabé military officer who has been the interim President of Burkina Faso since 2022, in the face of hostile western opposition.

The military Captain and Burkina Faso President, a mere 37-year-old, has created a global African-centered self-empowerment movement.

On April 30th, the Brooklyn-based December 12th Movement and Operation Power overnight organized the second big Burkina Faso New York rally, this time outside the French Mission.

That morning, hundreds rallied in Time Square in support of Captain Traore’s regime and policies to decolonize his nation from language to education and agriculture to cultural, to economic influence.

Like an ever-increasing circle from the center out, with continued revolutionary zeal, Traoré ousted then-president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September 2022.

Ordinarily and traditionally, activists do not support military takeovers – or a coup d’état, but as this shakes out, Traoré has instilled a number of nation and Burkinabe people-friendly policies. And then there is the Association of Sahel States (AES – Alliance des États du Sahel), where he has engaged in an alliance with the countries of Mali and Niger, with more to follow, in a united front.

The ideology is spreading.

While warning against romanticizing the reality, activist Brother Oji told New Black Voices, “He came in through a military coup, so he has natural enemies from those who were displaced from power, and external enemies from France.

The energy that was unleashed was welcoming, people have locked in. There’s a unifying theme in the global Black activist diaspora. They mobilized within a week, and people showed up all over the world in different places…Caribbean, North America, Europe.

That is unprecedented – the last time was when Congo’s President Patrice Lumumba was eliminated.”

Oji determined, “He is an enigma. His aspirational ideas are laudable. He is a fresh face trying to make a change in the right direction for the majority of the people.”

“The sleeping giant is finally waking up,” said Brooklyn businessman Kojo Odesanya. “The Europeans and white Americans, watch out. The end of exploitation is near, and you can’t change the wind of change blowing.“

He continued, saying that an international Black united front is essential, “It is very critical for African Americans to play an active role in the unification of Black people worldwide. African Americans’ knowledge, influence, and resources are very critical to counter the imperialist; besides, they know how to deal with the colonizers better than the Africans.”

As he tries to deconstruct Western influence and imperialist control, Traoré is in the middle of a delicately tough balancing act with armed factions creating unrest and organized elite opposition, accused of Western-linked assassination attempts; he has Russian troops as part of his protection force.

This, as Traoré has replaced de facto French colonial control, and created strategic alliances with nations like Russia and China, as he negotiated comprehensive mining deals with them, nationalized two gold mines, and is developing the nation’s first gold refinery, and is pursuing ownership of mineral resources. Building new schools, roads, and airports, and raising civil servant salaries by 50% are just some of the nation-building changes he has instilled.

At the same time, he expelled French diplomats and thousands of troops, declared French no longer the national language, as did Mali, and Niger replacing it with Hausa.

As the AES nations declared that they were withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and rejected financial offers tied to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Traoré is making efforts towards self-sufficiency.

Traoré also said he would replace the French CFA franc as the nation’s main currency.

As recently as last month, Traoré has survived multiple coup attempts and threats to himself and his administration.

Lookman Afolayan, owner of Buka restaurants in Bed Stuy and Fort Greene, told New Black Voices, “Once, they vilified and assassinated our heroes—men like Gaddafi, Nkrumah, and Lumumba—through lies, manipulation, and brute force. Today, the same playbook is being used, targeting the next generation of leaders rising from the heart of Africa. But this time, the ending will be different.”

Afolayan predicted, “What you’re witnessing today is not just history—it is the turning of an age. You’ve read about the fall of empires in dusty textbooks and documentaries, but now, you’re living through it. The decline is no longer distant. It is here. It is now.”

While reports have US President Donald Trump contemplating his position with Traoré, no scheduled meeting has been confirmed as of yet. At the same time South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has co-signed Traoré’s philosophy and policies, declaring the necessity for unity for the rebuilding of the Continent.

IZIZI Africa reports Traoré’s agenda to be “national sovereignty, economic self-reliance, and cultural revival.”

Called the ‘African Che Guevara’ by some, Traoré’s active philosophy is also likened to former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara, who was assassinated in 1961. Before his murder, the revolutionary leader of the nation changed the nation’s name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning ‘land of the upright people’ or “men of integrity” in the Mòoré language and “Faso” in the Dioula language, meaning “father’s house.”

“Our predecessors taught us one thing: a slave who cannot assume his own revolt does not deserve to be pitied,” said Traoré. “We do not feel sorry for ourselves, we do not ask anyone to feel sorry for us. The people of Burkina Faso have decided to fight, to fight against terrorism, in order to relaunch their development.”

Addressing the April 30th rally President General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association Michael Duncan invoked the spirit of Marcus Garvey, “There is s scramble for our resources, we have to hold tight on all quarters.”

Talking to the hyped up crowd, retired psychiatrist  and dedicated activist Dr. James McIntosh cried, “Africa for the Africans at home and abroad.” Saying that he was speaking for Betty Dobson and the Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People (CEMOTAP), Executive Committee. “Hands off Traore!”

“These are some serious times,” said Dr. Segun Shabaka, Chairman of the International African Arts Festival (IAAF), and the National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO). He told the excited crowd, “They are trying to take us back to pre-colonial Africa, but before we let them do that we’ll take them back to the Stone Age. So let’s get ready for a fierce future of fighting and resisting…we’ve got to start putting our skills, our labor, our expertise to start developing independent organizations, institutions that our people will be needing in these trying times.”

Philadelphia-based activist Pam Afrika praised the fact that “The December 12th Movement pulled this together in less than 24 hours. When the call came out across the African Continent and here in the United States, we heard the call.

“This warrior brother that this government is trying to kill…Learn about the several failed murder attempts of our brother…you’ll find out about the murders of several other Black presidents.

“We will continue to be on the frontline. This is what Black power looks like.”

Former New York City Council and Assemblyman Charles Barron declared, “Revolution has come to Africa. This Brother said ‘France, America, get the hell out of Africa, and on your way out, leave the gold behind, leave the uranium, leave the cobalt, leave the copper behind.”’

Decrying the spread of Africom and shouting “Get the hell out of Africa,” he slammed General Michael Langley, who had berated Traoré before Congress, charging him with wanting to keep Burkina Faso’s $4 billion gold reserves for his Burkinabe self.

“We say to Black people, as Africa is free, so shall we be free. Central to our liberation.”

The December 12th Movement Chairperson, Omowale Clay, told the crowd that the African community protesting in Times Square “came together out of their Pan African unity. Brother Charles Barron and I were there, and it was a beautiful feeling as they welcomed us, and we welcomed them…because we can’t let European languages..culture distance us. We have to find our way back together.”

He criticized General Michael Langley for trying to “insult President Traoré in the U.S. Senate, to say that he was stealing the gold for himself..well Negro what was going on when the French were stealing it for centuries? They stole people…But this young brother loves our people, saying there has to be a different way. We cannot continue to be exploited by [the West]. Colonialism and imperialism are the two dangers in this world, but we are going to get over it. Today was just a small act of us coming together.”

Ugandan-American author, journalist, professor, and co-founder of Black Star News

Prof. Milton Allimadi said that, “Ibrahim Traoré is the reincarnation of Thomas Sankara and Africans. He has expelled the French and he has taken control of his country’s resources. He wants to make sure Burkina Faso gets the fair price for its minerals. Africans, and friends of Africa throughout the world, are not going to stand by and watch him get murdered by another agent of imperialism, whether a Burkinabe person, or a ‘brother’ here in the United States on behalf of U.S. imperialism.”

“Traoré has rare special energy from street activation,” Brother OJi pointed out that the message’s control is in the people’s hands. The quick transference of information through Google, Instagram, and other tools makes controlling the narrative difficult. People see the decimation of information live and in real time. Interpretation and edited soundbites run second to the real thing, and so for example, even though the mainstream media largely ignored the tens upon tens of thousands of people who rallied in support of the Burkinabe people and leader Traoré the drumbeat was picked up, the sound carried, and the message was heard from Ouagadougou – Burkina Faso, to Nigeria, to London – England, to Jamaica, to Toronto – Canada, and beyond,

Organic and Continental homegrown, Traoré’s message can spread to other nations. Clearly, enemies exist within Burkina Faso: French government operatives, armed opponents on the ground, dedicated Francophone cultural elites, and permanent African enemies who see Traoré as someone in the way and will choose to exploit any disaffection.

“In this age of Google, internet, TikTok social media, narrative control is going to be very difficult from the established mainstream press,” said Oji. “We have tools to disseminate our own narrative, and we should.”This is not a time for neutrality. During the April 30th international rallies, we saw that the organizing principles were utilized. This was not a coordinated effort, but it resonated with the people. This has not happened since Patrice Lumumba was removed.

“We know that it is very clear that they do not want Traoré here.”

While the president attempts to impose “cultural and mental decolonization,” Oji said he faces staunch opposition from the upper middle class who enjoyed shopping trips to Paris, other French government-aligned groups, and internal rebel organizations. “Learning lessons of Sankara, Traore formed an alliance [AES] with the Sahale states of Niger and Mali in support of each other.”

New York rally attendee Tene Ouedraogo said African and African American unity is essential for victory. She founded Ancetres Azaaban, focusing on “African ancestry to bring our Black brothers and sisters home. It is important for African Americans to support Ibrahim Traoré because of what happened to Thomas Sankara; we don’t want that to happen to him. This time our eyes are open. We don’t want the white people to take him away. How many coup d’etat are they having?  He is young, and he is brave to give his life to save his own people. So that is why we want everyone to come and help us. They are focusing on Ukraine; there is a war there. But they are not focusing on Burkina Faso – [with the] terrorists, more than war, so why don’t they want to help us?”

She added, “We are the same. African Americans didn’t come here by themselves. Somebody brought them here by power. They need to come back home. We all need to come together to get that power back. Ibrahim Traoré knows everything that is going on. He is watching. He will talk about it.”

Bolstering the Manhattan crowd, Burkinabe Mady Kalmogo told New Black Voices, “We all came out from the African Nation, all the Black people. The protests are going on everywhere, saying ‘Leave Traoré alone– France, United States.’ This man came to power 2 years ago, and what he has done is unbelievable. The reason why they are trying to kill him is that he is making all the Black people wake up. Thank you to everybody saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ Wake up call is now.”

Rally co-organizer Omowale Clay told New Black Voices that, “For our people in Brooklyn examples of self-determination are critical for us, because the reality is that we have been landless, and even now with ethnic cleansing of our neighborhoods, we have been homeless, and so examples of African people through self-determination taking backing their country and their resources is enlightening, and inspiring for us.

“They raised a rock and dropped it on their own foot,” Clay said about Major Langley’s efforts to discredit Traoré. “It really inspired Africans that you really can’t say anything about anyone you want to, and denigrate them and slander them, when in fact they are trying to lift his people up. They inspire us.”

December 12th Movement member Colette Pean added, “There are also people in Brooklyn who come from Burkina Faso, and Niger and Mali also. They live amongst us,our fight is their fight in terms of building those bridges.”

“Finally, we see a young African brother standing up that’s representing all of us,” said Dr. Rosemari Mealy, activist and educator. “He’s taken them on. He’s taken on imperialism. What it does is also expose the hypocrisy of not just France, but this country, and using a Black man to do it. So we should care about it because conditions globally impact us, and so what’s happening there on another level is happening here–repression, the role of the State now, you can’t even go anywhere without showing your ID. You don’t have to be an immigrant anymore. There are no safeguards. Look at what is happening to lawyers. They are being stopped at airports. Just recently, in Michigan, coming back from vacation with his family, a lawyer’s phone was taken. Fortunately, he said you can’t have this. No one is safe, and that’s why Brooklyn needs to stand up.”

She made another point. “The role of the church is key. The churches need to take a stance. The Black church historically used to be at the forefront of raising these issues. Why silent? Silence is complicity.”

Senior activist Clay announced that on Sunday, June 8th, ”for all Pan-Africanists in New York City, to come to Harlem where Muggabe and Nkrumah walked. For us to unite on this Pan African Victory Day. That young [37 year old] brother has inspired the world, and to our sisters, if you are not in the forefront of this it ain’t gonna happen If our African sisters have our back we have nothing to fear, because all they ask us to do is to fight and be men, and fight for their country.”