<p>Two 2hr lessons (one for KS3 and one for KS4) with clear LOs on the Burkina Faso Revolution of 1983-87, led by Thomas Sankara. Ideal for Black History Month - an exciting area of history that students usually haven’t heard of.</p> <p>One lesson is about the Revolution’s achievements and one teaches the concept of neo-colonialism, which is crucial to understanding modern history and the contemporary world.</p> <p>The lesson starts with a look at Skepta/Wizkid’s video for the song Energy, in which we can see posters in Lagos in 2018 of Thomas Sankara. It examines this video as a historical source, nudging students to infer from this that Sankara is held in high regard today.</p> <p>It then teaches students about the Revolution Sankara led.</p> <p>Under Sankara’s anti-imperialist government, land was distributed to the landless, infant mortality dropped, infrastructure projects was built by the people, 7500 health clinics for the public were opened, and government ministers sold their luxury cars and took pay cuts. Most famously, the country people vaccinated 2.5M people in a week, bringing an end to its yearly epidemics - the UN and WHO praised this life-saving achievement. The revolution also launched new forms of direct democracy such as Committees for the Defence of the Revolution, which were in every workplace and through which workers could exercise control.</p> <p>Sankara was betrayed and murdered by his close friend and ally, Blaise Compaore, in 1987. He remains a icon across Africa and the world.</p>