Pioneers of the Revolution

The Pioneers of the Revolution (French: Pionniers de la Révolution) was a youth organization in Burkina Faso, modelled along the pattern of the pioneer movements typically operated by communist parties, such as the contemporary Pioneers of Enver, José Martí Pioneer Organization and Agostinho Neto Pioneer Organization. The Pioneers of the Revolution organized children of all ages. Much like many other young pioneer movements, such as the Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization and the Young Pioneers of China, the most distinct sign of the Pioneers were their red scarves, joined by rudimentary uniforms and yellow berets.

The movement was founded by Captain Thomas Sankara, a marxist and pan-Africanist who came to power in what was then the Republic of Upper Volta after a coup in 1983. Sankara attempted to implement what he called the "Democratic and Popular Revolution" (French: Révolution démocratique et populaire), a radical transformation of society. Many of the measures taken by Sankara and his Council of Popular Salvation junta targeted children – for example, female genital mutilation and forced marriages were banned, a nationwide literacy campaign was held, and approximately 2.5 million children were vaccinated against meningitis, yellow fever and measles.

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