On November 21^st an American visiting the African country of Burkina Faso was killed by the country’s security forces. Local news reports state that the American man was killed after he was caught for the second time lingering near an army base. The killing has alarmed many African Americans and other nationals who are interested in repatriating to the continent. One American who has been living in Burkina Faso for over a year is urging other African Americans not to be afraid of repatriating back to Africa because the man who got killed was clearly on a mission.

Black people from all over Europe and the Americas are increasingly showing interest in repatriating back to Africa. They see it as an ultimate step in the Black Consciousness initiative to separate from white culture and influence. Those who have chosen to make the move are choosing to settle in popular destinations such as Ghana, The Gambia, Uganda, and Kenya however, some are choosing to repatriate to the less well known and risky destination of Burkina Faso.  

Burkina Faso is a land-locked West African country bordered by Mali and Niger to its north and Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin to its south. Although Burkina Faso is a majority Muslim country, there is ongoing violence between moderate and fundamentalist Muslims linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 people this year alone. With all the religious violence there you would think that foreigners wouldn’t want to move to Burkina Faso to live but “that’s all nonsense” says a popular YouTube vlogger who lives in Burkina Faso and was acquainted with the American who was killed.

JT the Bigga Figga is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and vlogger who has been living in Burkina Faso for over a year. According to him, he loves it there so much that he might never return to America. He has bought land and has started building houses, which he plans to sell to locals as well as foreigners who are seeking to repatriate to Africa. In a recent vlog, JT the Bigga Figga revealed that he had only met the fellow African American who was killed by the security forces a hand full of times in the two months since he was there.

JT explained that the American arrived in Burkina Faso in September and called him up out of the blue. He picked the American up from the Airport and offered to help him by showing him around but the guy rejected his help claiming that he had other plans. “So, why did he call him?” JT thought to himself but introduced the guy to a local community leader anyway and they parted ways. The second time JT met the American, the American bought land from him for four thousand dollars and left another five thousand dollars with him for safe keeping. The third time JT met the American was at a meeting that the local community leader organized for foreigners to go over the cultural rules of Burkina Faso so that they didn’t get in trouble with the security forces or offend locals.

The next time JT met the American was last Friday night after the American was arrested by the security forces for suspiciously lingering around the local army base. JT and the local community leader went to the detention center where the American was being detained but they couldn’t get him released. Early Saturday morning the American was released with the help of officials from the American embassy. He was brought to the community office but before a meeting could be organized to assess how to help him further, he had disappeared.

By noon Saturday JT received another call informing him that the American was shot and killed. Apparently, he had gone back to the Army base and was snooping around again. The whole situation is not only tragic but is very puzzling to locals and foreigners alike. Africans have no desire to murder foreigners without cause unless they get caught up in terrorism. In general, most foreigners are treated with kindness and respect.

The body of the American has not been claimed for burial yet and JT has been trying to reach out on Social Media to any family he may have in America so that he can arrange to send his remains back. If his body is not claimed within a certain amount of time, he will be cremated but the mystery of what he was really doing in Burkina Faso may never be known. Was he trying to collect information for the American special forces who we know are on the ground in most African countries or was he just a distraction?   

JT now suspects that he was being used somehow. Did he use JT as a cover to enter the country under minor suspicion since JT had become well known among the locals, the chiefs, and security forces? Did he try to cover his agenda by buying land to show that he was genuinely interested in living in Burkina Faso? Did he leave money with JT to secure trust? Maybe he also tried to suggest that he had mental issues by telling JT that government agents were always following him around in America, bugging his phones and apartment. The real answers to all these questions may never be uncovered but one thing is certain, anyone seeking to repatriate to countries in Africa better not be on a mission because the security forces are not afraid to shoot to kill.