Today, 41 years ago "Upper Volta" become he's "Burkina Faso"

Today, 41 years ago, on August 4, 1984, Upper Volta shed its colonial name, embracing "Burkina Faso" to establish a new national identity. The name "Upper Volta," given by the French and based on the Volta River, didn't reflect the local culture. "Burkina Faso," derived from the Mooré and Dioula languages, means "homeland of upright men," emphasizing the unity of different ethnic groups as well as a new orientation toward justice. For Sankara, the renaming was an act of decolonization, marking the start of an "African path" rooted in revolutionary values and severing ties with the colonial past. Sankara not only changed the name but also transformed his country into a symbol of a new era. Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (1949–1987) was a Burkinabè military officer, Marxist and Pan-Africanist revolutionary leader who became President of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) after a popular coup in 1983. At age 33, he launched sweeping social, ecological, and economic reforms. His domestic policies focused on famine prevention through agrarian expansion and land reform, a nationwide literacy campaign raising literacy rates dramatically, massive vaccination of children against diseases like meningitis, public health improvements, banning female genital mutilation and forced marriages, promoting women's rights, and environmental conservation, notably planting over 10 million trees to combat desertification. He also reduced governmental luxury, selling off official cars and banning air conditioning in government offices. Sankara prioritized self-sufficiency by rejecting imperialist aid influence while accepting some foreign aid to boost local economy. He created popular revolutionary tribunals to try officials accused of corruption and counter-revolution, though they drew criticism for human rights issues. His government emphasized anti-imperialism and opposed international financial institutions like the IMF. Sankara was a charismatic, radical leader, often called "Africa's Che Guevara" for his revolutionary vision. He is remembered for his youthful, populist style and his critical stance against neo-colonialism before being assassinated in a 1987 coup. @https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sankara @https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sankara @https://www.thomassankara.net/facts-about-thomas-sankara-in-burkina-faso/?lang=en @https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Sankara @https://www.africa-confidential.com/profile/id/4783/thomas-sankara