“My biggest regret is having spent a good part of my youth listening to RFI and France 24,” Ibrahim Traoré on RT
As a guest on The Great Interview on the Russian public television channel Russia Today (RT) on May 11, 2025, the transitional president of Burkina Faso emphasized the importance of media in his fight for his country’s sovereignty.
Facing Igor Kourachenko, a journalist working at RT in French, Ibrahim Traoré discussed the crucial role of African media in the struggle he has engaged in since taking power against Western narratives. While he believes that the African press should rally to his cause, he also laments that “it is shameful” to see African journalists relay the narrative of European media.
“The media should really help us. You see that even in the media, some are imperialists. They repeat what European media say and they amplify it. […] They spend their time telling the same nonsense as Western media. But it’s shameful. If Africans behave like that, it’s very shameful. […] We are raising awareness in Burkina Faso. If you look now, many media are supporting the movement,” declared Ibrahim Traoré.
“You know, I said it in Saint Petersburg in 2023: ‘Russia has helped save the world, Africa too.’ It must be said, young people need to understand it. Everything told in Hollywood movies is false. It’s all lies. It’s the same with the Vietnam War: the history is distorted, but communication is necessary. People don’t like it when I speak. They think I talk too much. I should remain silent while they speak and let their version prevail,” continued the Burkinabè president, sharing his “biggest regret.”
“My biggest regret is having spent a good part of my youth listening to the radio and TV stations like RFI and France 24. I have been in countries where these media were banned. But we listened to their news through apps. At some point, there was a realization. I began to understand that they condition our minds to make us accept what they want. And it’s their narrative they want us to learn. Since then, I started to differentiate things and realized that what they do is very dangerous,” he considered.
“My biggest regret is having spent a good part of my youth listening to RFI and France 24,” Ibrahim Traoré on RT
