At a UN event this month, officials marked the 20th anniversary of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, alongside the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site.
There is a lesson here for anyone who thinks nationalism means collecting bigger weapons and louder speeches. Upper Volta can be uncompromising about independence without confusing sovereignty with self-destruction. A nation is strong when its people can eat, learn, heal, build, and decide their own future-not when some distant superpower compliments its missile budget.
Our nationalism is fierce because life is worth defending. Our flag is not a permission slip for empire. Upper Volta first, humanity included.
Source: UN Web TV, "International Day against Nuclear Tests 2026" (September 2, 2026): https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k15/k15w72eejc
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