Mfonobong Inyang: The Curious Case Of Ibrahim Traore and A Changing Africa

There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen – this seems to be the state of play in Africa right now. We are tempted to accept our fate as the ‘dark continent’ and swallow hook, line and sinker every unfortunate narrative pinned upon us. Africa is not poor, Africa is exploited. Having seen and heard a lot of chatter about Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, it became imperative for me to piece together what I would consider a nuanced perspective on happenings in the land of honest men and the implications for the wider African continent.

This is NOT About Ibrahim Traore

There might be a tendency to conflate issues by suggesting those supporting Traore are endorsing military rule or every one of his actions – nothing could be further from the truth. Traore has become a symbol and an embodiment of the discontent most Africans have of the current socio-economic and political order that hasn’t served them for decades – that indictment drives the sentiments we’re seeing across board. I have mentioned before that this is a rebel generation of young Africans who didn’t inherit the silence of their parents, and they are way smarter on geopolitics and foreign relations than those who came before them. More than four years ago, ever before Traore came into power, I wrote a think-piece detailing the sentiments that led to the rise of Bobi Wine in Uganda – those sentiments still prevail today: the fight for economic sovereignty, foreign interference in their politics, the double standards of performative activists and having to endure the consequences of policies designed and foisted on them by people who have never stepped foot on the continent, not to talk of having practical knowledge of their lived experiences. So if anyone tries to think this is about one individual, that’s an error because some other person will show up down the line. Traore is not a bug, he’s a feature.

In the Age of Populism

In a populist era, the question is not really whether a leader is military or civilian; the more profound question is this: Is such a leader perceived as a patriot who is more loyal to national interests or a puppet that is controlled and more loyal to foreign interests? Unfortunately, most Africans cannot tell the difference between a democratic government and a military junta because they seem to share the same signature of authoritarianism. I shared how young Kenyans were clamped down on simply because they disagreed with the government they elected into power on an economic policy. You would think freedom of expression is a fundamental and sacred tenet of democracy, but alas, the more we look, the less we see. Traore is strongly perceived as a patriot, and the fact that he is in military fatigue doesn’t change that.

H for Hypocrisy

As a communications strategist, I often say that while content is king, context is key. For example, I believe in climate change, but I also ask: What does climate change mean to a poor or uneducated person? If such a person has to choose between cutting down a tree in his house to cook and allowing it to stand to protect the environment, what choice do you think he or she will likely make? Your guess is as good as mine. In a similar vein, what does democracy mean to a young man who can barely feed three times a day, but the land upon which he walks is replete with valuable mineral resources? What does democracy mean to a young lady who is denied access to education by a supposed civilian government that thinks women should not be empowered enough to participate in the polity like everyone else?

What did les Burkinabés get after Sankara was assassinated? Are their lives made any better by those who promised them democracy? Have the emergency defenders of democracy sought justice for young Nigerians who were mowed down on 20th October 2020? Are the activists of the ‘rule of law’ going to feign ignorance over the crisis in Congo, which includes child labour and exploitation of cobalt, which is a direct supply chain to industrial countries for the manufacturing of phones and electric car batteries? What moral authority do people who brazenly endorse democratic coups via sham elections have to condemn a military rule that is popular amongst its people? How do you explain that those who pride themselves as being leaders of the free world have a problem with how another sovereign country chooses to use its resources? Riddle me that!

Democracy intrinsically has its own merits, but it has also become a code word for strategic interests. Last year, when the phrase “threat to democracy” gained notoriety, I detailed how it was all balderdash – any person who disagrees with you cannot be a threat to democracy, silencing or censoring such people is the real threat to democracy. Fela sang about fifty years ago about the ‘demonstration of craze,’ but they called him a madman. After I interrogated his discography, I discovered he was a prophet who came before his time – unc was outchea trying to put folks on game but they couldn’t clock it.

Eco-what?

Again, over the past few years, I have shared how the regional socio-economic and political groupings have shown their hand in terms of where their loyalty lies. In a previous essay barely a year ago, I wrote this: “young people increasingly believe that the priority of these groups is not the African people but the interests of neocons across the Atlantic.” The biggest goof in pan-African terms was the recent botched plan to attack and invade a fellow African country at the behest of erstwhile colonial interests. As a Nigerian, I felt second-hand embarrassment that my country was part of that conversation. Some of the worst policies unleashed by state departments from famous political capitals across the world have been championed by people who look like us. It’s always the delulu of those in the house to think they are better than those on the plantation. Young Africans are learning very fast that this might be a case of the voice of Jacob but the hands of Esau. So it’s not rocket science to see Mali, Burkina Faso, and Gabon enter into a distinct alliance of Sahel States.

Loans, Lectures and Lackeys

Most young Africans feel like they have taken enough Ls, so they are not rejecting foreign aid because it’s inherently bad or that it’s not an important subsidy for humanitarian causes but because they have seen it used in many instances as a slush fund for pushing clandestine agendas which are often not compatible with their yearnings and aspirations. They have also used their tongue to count their teeth because there is no empirical evidence to suggest that any African country has developed from all the years of receiving foreign aid. Does it make sense that a sovereign country cannot use its indigenous currency, gold, but can’t have gold reserves or exploit its natural resources in a way that benefits them across the value chain? We all know that the faux outrage isn’t over Traore being a military leader, the same people who shout to the highest heavens over that still hand billions in developmental aid annually to sit-tight leaders on the content who have exceeded their term limits – some of such leaders have been in power since before I was born but they look away because the game is the game. Some people don’t get to lecture Africans on the rule of law when they break every rule in the book to plunder our resources and undermine leaders who are not lackeys. Anyone can accuse Troare of anything, but they can’t say he’s a sell-out.

The Rise Of Young African Storytellers

It’s double jeopardy for most African youths; it’s not just that they are largely denied the supposed dividends of democracy, but they also don’t enjoy the dividends of demography. Thus, a fallout of having a continent that young people largely constitute is that they will ask questions and, in the process of finding answers, they will educate themselves better than their parents were on how the world works. More young African youths have not only learnt to craft narratives but have also learnt to counter narratives such as that which uses gaslighting and emotional blackmail to suggest that if you have a contrary perspective to what is approved for the mainstream media, you are either a conspiracy theorist or on the payroll of their geopolitical rivals. The old order tried to separate their parents through unnatural borders within the continent, but they have used the internet to aggregate their thoughts and assemble themselves.

They have seen leaked cables, declassified documents and even media clips from the dramatis personae involved in certain covert missions about their real motivations. They have seen the funding of chaos to justify military invasions and effect regime changes. They have seen neocons and warmongers tell bold-faced lies to their taxpayers, their legislatures and the entire world to justify endless wars under the guise of restoring democracy. They have seen certain countries proudly celebrating anniversaries of their “glorious revolution”, where they fought for self-determination, but if Africans do the same thing, they are demonised. They have seen colour revolutions that were anything but organic. They have seen how agendas have been bought and paid for in the media through clandestine means like “training for influencers”.

They have learnt to decode diplomatic-speak and foreign policy jargon, so when a military chief is out there sabre-rattling about “access and influence” – it is déjà vu, they have seen this movie before with Gaddafi. I may not have been Gaddafi’s biggest fan, but nobody can objectively say that Libyans are better now than they were before he was removed. They saw those who pushed for Libya to be “liberated” and chuckled at the death of Gaddafi because this is all a game to them, but Africans have had to deal with the escalation of insecurity after the toppling of his government. They know democracy was a pseudo alibi and a cover story, the real gig about the control of the oil and sovereign wealth, so “Gaddafi had to go”. This is why people were out on the street to protest, not so much for Traore but because they are not willing to become collateral damage for some military-industrial complex on some far-flung continent.

The African Giant?

There used to be an unmistakable answer to this appellation, but we’re learning in real time that leadership is not by size, else the elephant would be the king of the jungle over the lion. This is an inflexion point, not just for Africans but for the rest of the world. Will it be business as usual, or will common sense prevail? I am not here to hold brief for Ibrahim Traore. I can’t speak to his character or his intentions, but I can tell when there is a genuine connection between a leader and the people. I don’t think I have seen in recent history where citizens rush to keep watch overnight on the highways whenever there is any rumour of a coup against their leader. Isn’t democracy about respecting the will of the people? Shouldn’t the will of les Burkinabés be respected even though a large swath of the people have reached a consensus on their political leadership in a manner that is unique to them? Real recognise real; there is a longing for leaders with that main character energy – folks with spines, not just some colonial clerks. Whatever anyone thinks of Traore, like Captain Thomas Sankara, he’s a true son of Africa. These foreign interests should hands off and let him cook; that’s some food for thought.

“We must choose either champagne for a few or safe drinking water for all.” – Captain Thomas Sankara.