Straight forward question. Been trying to gauge the man’s politics and I think he leans more toward being an anti-colonial nationalist rather than an outright socialist. Still based and deserving of critical support, but maybe not the next Thomas Sankara; not that he needs to be, but it’d be cooler if he was.
I’m not “purity testing”; it was an honest question because I couldn’t pin where he was at politically.
There is an important distinction between Left-wing Nationalism (which is progressive & anti-colonial) and Right-wing Nationalism (which is reactionary & chauvinistic). The two are distinct practices which use differing language and have differing goals. Left-wing Nationalists don’t talk about culture, ethnicity, or homeland - they talk about anti-imperialism & anti-colonialism. They are often socialists but this isn’t always the case and even if they aren’t socialists outright they still deserve critical support in their struggles against imperialism/colonialism.
I’m not looking for a reason to condemn Traoré nor a reason to support him. I already know his cause is righteous and deserves support, I just wanted to know how far along the Left path he was. There’s no need for snark, comrade.