Passion or Profession: President

Period: 1949–1987

Born in Yako, Sankara was an officer in Upper Volta's military when a 1983 coup allowed him to take the presidency at the age of 33. The charismatic Sankara changed the country's name to Burkina Faso and became widely popular for his socialist policies, vaccination campaigns, school-building projects, and measures to reduce excess among government elite. While he was supported by the general populace, his policies antagonized others, and he was overthrown and assassinated in 1987. He remains a national hero.