Thomas Sankara et la condition féminine: un discours révolutionnaire?

2.2. MEDIA ECHO

The radio, television and the newspaper industry, in particular Sidwaya and African Carrefour, state-owned properties are given the responsability to popularize the speeches of president Sankara. In addition to the rough transmission of the messages of Sankara, these media propose to clarify its political speech for a better comprehension. They become, consequently, of the bodies of information, formation and propaganda. They transmit the revolutionary ideology to the last hamlet of Burkina. The press becomes ideological and contributes to the regeneration of the company burkinabé. It takes part of the revolution, by taking again the key words of the speech sankarist and by commenting on them assiduously : freedom, equality, social justice, dignity.

The titles of the newspaper industry emphasize the engagement of the presidential speech in favor of the woman. On the meeting of Sunday July 15, 1984 at the house of the people, Salia Zerbo titrates in Sidwaya : « The Head of the State meets the women : the call to freedom »^89(*). The term « Call » refers to the speech like means of action, like important lever of the change socio-policy. If the speech exhorts, the speech defines also a precise political line. True echo room of the speech sankarist, the columns of the bodies of press open with the militancy and propaganda. As of September 23, 1983, Béatrice Damiba takes again the remarks of the national secretary-general of CDR, Pierre Ouédraogo, in African the Carrefour weekly magazine. « The revolution does not distinguish the man from the woman, not of ``discrimination sexist '' in the opposition of the woman  ». Béatrice Damiba in her comment supports that « to give the capacity to the people, it is to give it to the women, to release the people is to release the woman »^90(*). Salia Zerbo brings back the thought of Thomas Sankara, « benefits from the revolutionary woman, according to the comrade chair, profits with that which makes good toilet, which is vain, beautiful, militant of the RDP. The good toilet will be done with modest means »^91(*).

Luc Adolphe Tiao notes a significant progress in the feminist combat of CNR. « Today everywhere in Upper Volta slogans punctuated by CDR : « With bottom the women budgétivores » - « with bottom women and the men reactionaries » « with bottom feudal husbands », start to have a real impact on the company »^92(*). The daily newspaper Sidwaya n° 326 of Monday 5 August 1985, special second birthday of the RDP, conceived in the form of magazine shows the will of the mode to shake the good consciences. As of the one, one reads « large popular parade of August 4 the women were splendid ! », « the new popular army grants a real place to the woman »^93(*). On page 5, a streamer present : « Association of the maidservants of Christ » « the people which fight will succeed but the lazy ones remain dominated. The Bible ». This inscription compares the mission of CNR to the saving mission of Christ. The press largely contributes to diffuse the watchwords of the mode. She encourages with the adoption of particular provisions intended to support the increase in the rate of schooling, the elimination of illiteracy of the women and their educational level. She must also work in the field of health and promote the structures of gathering of the women and the cribs and the nursery popular in rural medium to support their participation, not only with the production but also with the whole of the sociocultural activities. To disseminate information more widely, by the use of modern technologies which make it possible to produce more, while releasing the man power, concerns within the competence of the press.

The presence of the problem of the female condition is thus undeniable in the speech of Sankara. The speech is conceived as one important moment of the meeting of Sankara with the women. Béatrice Damiba in African Carrefour speaks about one « face to face of the truth »^94(*). This experiment correctly translates the existing relationship between the political powerful orator and his public. To put this report/ratio under the aegis of the truth confers an undeniable dimension on the political analysis suggested by Sankara.

Been useful by a political press of propaganda, the feminist speech of Sankara seeks to determine a positive image of the woman as a dynamic and creative agent of the economic and social development.

THIRD PART

ARGUMENTATION SANKARISTE

* ⁸⁹ ZERBO (S),  «  The Head of the State meets the women  : The Call to freedom  », in Sidwaya N 65 of Monday July 16, 1984, p. 3.

* ⁹⁰ DAMIBA (B), «  Women and the revolution. A difficult opening but some  », in African Crossroads
N 797 of September 23, 1983, p. 28.

* ⁹¹ ZERBO (S), COp., cit. in Sidwaya N 65 of Monday July 16, 1984, p. 3.

* ⁹² «  The woman in the RDP. Voices of its release  », in African Crossroads N 842 of August 4, 1984, p. 37.

* ⁹³ See Appendix IV

* ⁹⁴ DAMIBA (B), «  CDR  : one year of popular exercise of capacity. Assets but also of the accros  » in African Crossroads N 842 of August 4, 1984, p. 11.