What happens when Africa produces an incorruptible leader?

What happens when Africa produces an incorruptible leader?

What happens when Africa produces an incorruptible leader?

In 1992, Fela Kuti released “Underground System,” a haunting tribute to his murdered friend, Thomas Sankara. But this wasn’t just a song—it was an exposé of Africa’s deadliest secret.

Fela boldly named the continent’s true heroes: Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Sekou Toure, Modibo Keita, Ahmed Ben Bella, and Nelson Mandela. Leaders who chose their people over power. Leaders who paid the ultimate price.

At the heart of the song stands Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s revolutionary president assassinated in 1987. Fela proclaims: “Him name na President SANKARA” and delivers a prophetic warning: “If dem kill SANKARA nko, Den No fit kill hin spirit o.”

The song’s chilling thesis? An “underground system” of corrupt, Western-influenced puppet leaders conspires to eliminate any charismatic, honest African leader who threatens the status quo. When Africa produces genuine leadership, the system destroys them.

Thirty-three years after Sankara’s assassination and decades after this song’s release, Fela’s words still echo.

How many more leaders have we lost to this underground system? How many are we losing today?

The revolution Sankara and these leaders started cannot be killed—their spirit lives on.

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Reference: “Underground System” by Fela Kuti (1992)