The family of former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, has expressed gratitude to the government and people of Burkina Faso for the naming of a street after him, describing it as an honour not only to the family, but to the people of Ghana.
In a statement read on behalf of the family by Ms. Yaa Asantewaa Agyeman-Rawlings, Executive Director of the JJ Rawlings Foundation, during the ceremony in Ouagadougou on Sunday, May 17, she said: “This is a huge recognition of the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to social justice, a man who gave his life in service to the ordinary people.”
“For Jerry Rawlings the pursuit of a just society; the pursuit of the socio-economic liberation of the ordinary African, from poverty, from food insecurity, from under development and from global marginalisation was not a political ambition. It was a calling, it was a duty. In the same vein, Thomas Sankara dedicated his life to the ideal of a self-sufficient Africa, free from the shackles of neo-colonialism. They both envisioned an Africa where these principles would flourish- a vision still necessary today.” Ms. Asantewaa Rawlings stated.
The naming of the avenue came a day after the grand inauguration of a mausoleum in Ouagadougou, housing the remains of Thomas Sankara and his 12 companions who died on October 15, 1987, of which JJ Rawlings played a significant role in the project. He was the honorary Chair of the Sankara Memorial Committee until his passing in 2020.
Ms. Asantewaa Agyeman-Rawlings, daughter of Flt Lt Rawlings, who was accompanied by her brother, Kimathi Agyeman-Rawlings, said the naming of the avenue marked a significant milestone as it serves as a reminder of the values both Sankara and Rawlings stood for – values deeply rooted in the fight for justice, equality and the conscious awakening of African people.
She reminded the audience of Flt Lt Rawlings’s address at the launch of the Thomas Sankara Memorial Project in October 2016 when he said:
“The journey of emancipation must continue. There is no easy road ahead. The power of imperialist control is almost like a noose around Africa’s neck. The stark inequalities of globalisation, the force-feeding of economic partnership agreements with the attendant imbalance in trade mean we must fight a new political battle against neo-colonialism.”
The naming of the avenue and unveiling of a plaque which was administered by Burkina Faso’s Minister for Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Mr. Gilbert Ouedraogo on behalf of the country’s Prime Minister, was also attended by the Mayor of Ouagadougou, Maurice Konaté, a delegation from the Thomas Sankara Memorial Committee and members of the public.
Minister Gilbert Ouédraogo paid tribute to the memory of a great fighter for the emancipation of our continent, a voice of Pan-Africanism, a worthy son of Africa, and a great friend of Captain Thomas Sankara and Burkina Faso.
“In our history, we recognise the multifaceted and selfless support that President Jerry John Rawlings once provided to Captain Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, father of the Burkina Faso Revolution. We cannot ignore the willingness he demonstrated in his time to uncover the truth during the investigation into the assassination of President Sankara,” he declared.
The Spokesperson for the Burkinabe government said: “For our country, where the integration and unity of peoples are already a reality in daily life, the naming of an avenue in memory of President John Jerry Rawlings is an invitation to consolidate everything that unites our two peoples and to ensure that present and future generations pursue our common goal of building a united and prosperous Africa.”
Spanning more than two kilometres, the avenue named after the late President John Jerry Rawlings begins in the north with Avenue Jean-Paul II and ends in the south with Boulevard Capitaine Isidore Noël Thomas Sankara.
Earlier on Saturday a high-powered delegation from Ghana representing President John Mahama attended the inauguration of the Mausoleum.
The delegation included Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security, Defence Minister, Edward Omane Boamah, Interior Minister, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States, Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey (rtd), Naval Captain Asaase Gyimah and Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi.