Burkina Faso hosts conference on decolonization and African sovereignty with diaspora participation
via Lefaso.net7 min read
A conference on "Colonization and the Perpetuation of Colonial Systems" was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on April 20, 2026, as part of a visit by Afro-descendants organized by the Institute for the Development of the African Diaspora ADDI and the Burkinabe government. Panelists included Annick Pikbougoum, Minister of Sports, Youth, and Employment; Dr. Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambèla, former Prime Minister and president of the Farafina Institute of Black Peoples IPN-Farafina; and General Kassoum Coulibaly, former Minister of Defense and Veterans, and Burkina Faso's Ambassador to the USA. They discussed Burkina Faso's current efforts under President Ibrahim Traoré to achieve true sovereignty and urged Afro-descendants to join this struggle against neo-colonization. Dr. Kyélèm de Tambèla emphasized that the colonization of Black people predates the 19th century, citing Arab-Muslim and transatlantic slave trades, followed by colonization and now neo-colonization. He highlighted the difficulty of overcoming neo-colonization due to the globalized capitalist system's influence on minds and consumption habits, particularly through education that perpetuates colonial values. He noted that when President Traoré came to power, it was challenging to introduce alternative political and philosophical approaches, as many Burkinabe were convinced that European bourgeois democracy was the only valid form. Dr. Kyélèm de Tambèla argued that African societies have always had their
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