Bobo-Dioulasso: The Minister of Secondary Education, Vocational and Technical Training, Boubacar Savadogo, launched the commemorative activities for the 20th anniversary of the death of General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana, at the private high school that bears his name. Under the theme “General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana: a model of resilience in the service of education and the success of young people,” this commemoration will take place from May 5 to 11, 2025. To mark this first day of celebration, a raising of the national colors took place in the grounds of the private high school General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana in Bobo-Dioulasso. The ceremony was presided over by Minister Boubacar Savadogo, accompanied by his colleague in charge of Housing Mikalou Sidib© and the Secretary General of the Government Ousmane Ouattara.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Boubacar Savadogo stated that this ceremony represents a true duty of remembrance. He affirmed that General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana remains a timeless model of resilience, patriotic commitment, discipline, and work. “His career is a source of inspiration for all the youth of our country. He teaches us that the greatness of a nation rests first and foremost on the quality of its citizens, forged through effort, loyalty, and love of the common good,” he said.
The minister invited the students, through this commemoration, to cultivate discipline, to seek excellence through work, and to aspire to success in humility and integrity. “The Burkina Faso of tomorrow belongs to you, and your commitment today will determine what it will be tomorrow. Our country, in its current process of regaining its sovereignty, needs young people who are upright, educated, disciplined, and committed to the values of patriotism and integrity,” he told the students.
For him, school is the first battlefield in this reconquest. According to him, it must train women and men capable of thinking freely, acting responsibly, and proudly defending the country’s sovereignty, cultures, and aspirations.
The chairman of the organizing committee for the commemorative activities, Nouhoun Coulibaly, expressed the hope that this raising of the national flag would be seen as an oath never to betray the ideals of the country’s second president. According to him, this act symbolizes national unity, dignity, and recognition. “We pay tribute to a man whose name evokes rectitude, restraint, a sense of duty, discipline, integrity, commitment, respect, resilience, and fighting spirit,” he said.
Activities continue with conferences on the life of General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana, film screenings, sports activities, as well as the launch of the ‘Youth of Values’ movement. For the director of the private high school General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana in Bobo-Dioulasso, this commemoration aims to pay tribute to a soldier and statesman, to make him known and to transmit to the younger generation, who did not know him, the values of integrity, bravery, and humility that he embodied throughout his life.
As a reminder, General Aboubacar Sangoul© Lamizana was the second president of Upper Volta, from January 3, 1966, to November 25, 1980. He died on May 26, 2005.