REMEMBERING SÉKOU TOURÉ

With our continent experiencing a renaissance in pan-African, anti-imperialist sentiment - as embodied in revolutions and new alliances in the Sahel - it’s an apt time to remember Guinea's founding father, Ahmed Sékou Touré, who joined the ancestors on this day in 1984.

As a child, he attended a Koranic school - before proceeding to a French technical institution in the capital, Conakry, in his teens. However, his stay there was short-lived, as he was expelled less than a year after admission for leading a student protest.

This led him to join the labour market at an early age. His first job was as a clerk at a French-owned company in 1940. He then joined the country's postal and telecommunications services provider the following year.

In 1953, he helped coordinate a major labour strike, which lasted 76 days and resulted in a significant victory for the country's workers, who secured a 20% pay rise and a 40-hour working week.

His track record in the labour sector helped cement his role as an emerging anti-colonial leader. In the 1950s, he won several political offices before becoming mayor of Conakry in 1955 and a member of the French National Assembly in 1956.

He used those positions to mobilise his fellow citizens towards the goal of national emancipation, rejecting attempts by Paris to have the West African nation remain part of the so-called French Community.

In 1958, Guineans voted overwhelmingly to sever ties with France, despite Paris' threats to end all forms of economic and technical support for Guinea.

Upon becoming president, Touré embarked on a massive economic and social reform programme to wean the country off dependency on the former colonial power.

But his revolutionary exploits went beyond the borders of his homeland. On his death anniversary, we look at his achievements and why he was admired by pan-Africans worldwide.