POLITICIAN

Thomas Sankara

1949 - 1987

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Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara (21 December 1949 – 15 October 1987) was a Burkinabè military officer, Marxist and Pan-Africanist revolutionary who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 1983, following his takeover in a coup, until his assassination in 1987. After being appointed Prime Minister in 1983, disputes with the sitting government resulted in Sankara's eventual imprisonment. While he was under house arrest, a group of revolutionaries seized power on his behalf in a popularly supported coup later that year. At the age of 33, Sankara became the President of the Republic of Upper Volta and launched an unprecedented series of social, ecological, and economic reforms. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Thomas Sankara is the 1,742nd most popular politician (down from 1,213th in 2019), the most popular biography from Burkina Faso and the most popular Burkinabe Politician.

Thomas Sankara was the president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He is most famous for his socialist reforms, including changing the country's name to Burkina Faso, which translates to "the land of upright people."

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Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, Thomas Sankara ranks 1,742 out of 19,576. Before him are Frederick I of Denmark, Theuderic I, Henry I, Duke of Guise, Ferdinand II of Portugal, Fidel Ramos, and Frederick I of Sweden. After him are Jungjong of Joseon, Herod Archelaus, Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Constantius III, and Arif Alvi.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1949, Thomas Sankara ranks 37. Before him are Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Jeff Bridges, Thaksin Shinawatra, Ken Follett, Han Duck-soo, and Alla Pugacheva. After him are Arif Alvi, George Foreman, Bobby Farrell, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Carlos the Jackal, and Michael Houghton. Among people deceased in 1987, Thomas Sankara ranks 17. Before him are Fred Astaire, Walter Houser Brattain, Gunnar Myrdal, Marguerite Yourcenar, William Stuart-Houston, and William P. Murphy. After him are Jacques Anquetil, Pola Negri, Fahri Korutürk, Jascha Heifetz, Georg Wittig, and Lino Ventura.

Others Born in 1949

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Others Deceased in 1987

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In Burkina Faso

Among people born in Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara ranks 1 out of 49. After him are Blaise Compaoré (1951), Ibrahim Traoré (1988), Philippe Ouédraogo (1945), Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (1957), Maurice Yaméogo (1921), Michel Kafando (1942), Yacouba Sawadogo (1946), Saye Zerbo (1932), Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo (1942), Diébédo Francis Kéré (1965), and Gérard Kango Ouédraogo (1925).

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Among POLITICIANS In Burkina Faso

Among politicians born in Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara ranks 1. After him are Blaise Compaoré (1951), Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (1957), Maurice Yaméogo (1921), Michel Kafando (1942), Saye Zerbo (1932), Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo (1942), Gérard Kango Ouédraogo (1925), Gilbert Diendéré (1960), Luc-Adolphe Tiao (1954), Yacouba Isaac Zida (1965), and Apollinaire J. Kyélem de Tambèla (1958).

Burkinabe born Politicians

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