Joseph Ki-Zerbo

Joseph Ki-Zerbo is a historian and Burkinabe politician born on June 21st 1922 with Toma (the Upper Volta, today Burkina Faso) and deceased on December 4th 2006 with Ouagadougou.

Toma is in the North-West of the country, between Koudougou and Tougan, in San country, in the province of Nayala. Ki and Zerbo are two distinct patronyms. For the colonial administration, Joseph had been born Ki. It is his/her father (generally regarded as the first Christian of the Upper Volta), whereas Joseph was student, who intervened so that the two patronyms (expression of the alliance of the families Ki and Zerbo) are coupled. " It is necessary to rectify that, will say to him it, because Ki is not our name in entirety. We are called Ki-Zerbo; there is only to listen to the griots when they call our family ".

After having passed his baccalaureat in Bamako, Joseph Ki-Zerbo follows studies of Histoire to Paris. He supports his thesis of doctorate to the Institut of political studies of the University of Paris. Ki-Zerbo becomes professor of the Universities. It is one of the largest thinkers of contemporary Africa. He teaches with Orleans, with Paris then with Dakar in 1957.

Joseph Ki-Zerbo will renew with the Senegal board Sheik Anta Diop the studies on the history of Africa. The purpose of this movement is to give again with the Africans a small control on the definition of their past. From 1975 to 1995, Joseph Ki-Zerbo chairs the Association of the African historians.

It is at the time of its installation in Dakar in 1957 qu' it begins the policy by creating the Liberation movement main road (MLN). Condemned by a revolutionary popular court, it is constrained with the exile. It returns in Burkina in 1992. Joseph Ki-Zerbo is founder in 1993 Parti for the democracy and progress (PDP, member of the Internationale Socialist), opposition party with the Congrès for the democracy and progress ( CDP ) of the president Blaise Compaoré. The congress constitutive of PDP takes place in April 1994 and Ki-Zerbo becomes president about it.

In 1997 receives Right Livelihood Award, more commonly called in France the alternate Nobel Prize.

In 1998 he is founding member of the Collective of the Démocratiques organizations of Mass and Political parties (CODMPP). This collective was creates on December 16th, 1998 following the assassination of the journalist of investigation Norbert Zongo alias Henri Sébégo . The movement Trop it is Trop was born starting from this collective. Joseph Ki-Zerbo is the inventor of the following slogan: Naan Laara year will saara which means if one lies down one died .

In 2000 it receives discussed the Prix Kadhafi of the human rights of the Libya.

The legislative ones of the May 5th 2002 are a failure for the PDP and Ki-Zerbo, since the party loses its place of first opposition party to the profit of ADF-RDA of Hermann Yaméogo. PDP adds up 10 seats, against 17 for ADF-RDA and 57 out of 111 for CDP .

The February 6th 2005, Ki-Zerbo yields the head of the party to Ali Lankoandé.

Ki-Zerbo died on Monday, December 4, 2006. It obtained the row of Commander about the academic Palms on a purely posthumous basis.

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