“Africa is Not Poor! Africa is Exploited!”: The Banner at the London Demonstration

It was on April 30, 2025, that a Central London protest catapulted Burkina Faso’s interim president Ibrahim Traoré into the limelight with the banner, “Africa is not poor! Africa is exploited! Colonizers out! Africans rise and unite.” The protest, which was documented in an X post by @wode_maya, highlighted the concerns of imperialism and exploitation in Africa.

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Among the notable sights at the London protest was a banner that carried the message, “Africa is not poor! Africa is exploited! Colonizers out! Africans rise and unite.” The message addresses the assumption that Africa’s financial troubles may be due to past and present exploitation, rather than a lack of resources. The message also includes a call for the removal of outside influence along with an appeal for African unity.

Read also: London Protest Highlights Solidarity with Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré

The banner was aloft during the march, as can be seen from the X post, with marchers walking through Central London on a bright day. The white writing on the black background made the message stand out, and it drew notice to the demonstrators’ focus on systemic issues in Africa, in particular as they pertained to Burkina Faso’s leadership under Ibrahim Traoré.

Read also: Captain Ibrahim Traoré: Africa’s Youngest Leader Challenges Western Influence

Some celebrities have even shown support to the Traoré goverment, for instance, Ghanian rapper Sarkodie, posted on X on the 25th of April, 2025, stating “God protect IBRAHIM TRAORE,” this post garnered over 5.1 million impressions. With some people praising him and others berating him on why he would show support for a military government known for having dictatorial tendencies.

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The protest was amid recent developments in Burkina Faso with Ibrahim Traoré, who became the transitional president following a coup in 2022. An AP News report on April 30, 2025, reported that the government of Burkina Faso announced foiling a coup attempt in early April, which the government attributed to foreign forces. Further, a U.S. official criticized Traoré’s government regarding its management of gold reserves, to which there were mixed reactions. These incidents have contributed to ongoing controversy about foreign involvement in the region. The protest in London was one of the many protests held on April 30, 2025, in cities like Kingston, based on the trend “Global protests support Burkina Faso’s President Traoré amid U.S. accusations.” That different groups of people, like British Caribbeans, as one of the responses to the X post mentions, participated in the protest indicates that the topic of the protest has implications for African diaspora communities globally.