Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’
People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is “not for us”, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.
Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright.
A transition to democracy had originally been planned for 2024, but that year the junta extended Traoré’s rule until 2029.
“We’re not even talking about elections, first of all … People need to forget about the question of democracy … We must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us,” Traoré said in an interview on Thursday with the state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB).
I read in the comments it was Christian so that sounded plausible along with it being in West Africa but you’re right.
Still doesn’t change the fact that a poor society which just broke free from Western colonialism is not magically going to implement all the values of those who colonized them. Not everything is three steps forward zero steps back.
But pinkwashing remains the favorite Liberal stick to hit colonized people with.
I’m glad you agree that the homophobic regression didn’t come from western colonialism?
It depends what year and place we’re talking about because before the 1950s it definitely did. But in this case no.
People are quick to forget their gamer word vocabulary from the 2010’s but somehow expect every country in the world to be on the same cultural line 15 years later.
I’m sorry, I’m slightly confused. I think we agree? In the ~1950s they were actually far less repressive about LGBTQ issues than France (their colonizers) was, to be clear. That’s where the argument that while the effects of colonialism are responsible for many evils, in this case it appears to be genuine home-grown regression on personal freedoms.
Yes we agree that this wasn’t imposed on them by their colonizers. Where we might disagree is that I still believe decolonization is good for Burkina Faso.
Nope, think we’re on the same page there too. Cheers!