A high-level government delegation from Ghana joined the people of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on Saturday for the inauguration of a memorial park and a towering statue in honour of revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara.
Representing President John Dramani Mahama, Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah led the delegation, which included Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Sahel, Lt. Col. Gbevlo Lartey (rtd), and Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, MP and Chairperson of Parliament’s Security and Intelligence Committee. Also present were former National Security heads Naval Captain Asaase Gyima (rtd) and Kofi Totobi Quakyi.
The memorial, which also honours the 12 comrades who died with Sankara in the 1987 assassination, was described by the Burkinabè government as a “place of reflection and revolution,” symbolising their continued resistance against oppression, colonialism, and terrorism.
“Fallen but forever alive in our hearts,” was the unified message from Burkina Faso during the emotional ceremony.
In a related tribute, Ghana’s late former President Jerry John Rawlings was praised for his Pan-African ideals and support for Sankara.
Burkina Faso announced that a street in Ouagadougou will be named after him in the coming days, Dr Omane Boamah confirmed.
