African American man on a Mission Gets Killed in Burkina Faso
On November
21st 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.