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“Those who led us into debt were gambling, as if they were in a casino. As long as they were winning, there was no problem. Now that they're losing their bets, they demand repayment.”

Source: Speech on debt at the OAU summit, Addis Ababa, 29 July 1987

Context Urging African leaders at the OAU to refuse jointly to repay foreign debt; he was killed in a coup less than three months later.

Portrait of Thomas Sankara
Thomas SankaraBurkina Faso · 1949–1987
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