The Cold War and Its Devastation of the Old Market: Socioeconomic Inequality and the Pursuit of Self-Sufficiency in Revolutionary Burkina Faso (1983–1987)

Authors

• Ah’Jah’Rai Jones, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

Abstract

This study examines the revolutionary era of Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso, specifically the years of 1983 to 1987, as an expository case study of colonial resistance. Referencing the scholarly frameworks of Brian J. Peterson and Odd Arne Westad, this project explores how Sankara’s relentless pursuit of radical self-sufficiency, which is perfectly encapsulated in his philosophy of “He who feeds you, controls you,” sought to reestablish Burkina Faso’s national sovereignty by renouncing Western interference and prohibiting non-domestic imports.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Ah’Jah’Rai (2026) "The Cold War and Its Devastation of the Old Market: Socioeconomic Inequality and the Pursuit of Self-Sufficiency in Revolutionary Burkina Faso (1983–1987)," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 16: Iss. 2, Article 9.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2026.160209
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol16/iss2/9