‘Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining’

by Tiy Todd

Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, president of Burkina Faso, is once again under attack, this time by the United States of America.

Why does the U.S. always seem to find a way to pit us Blacks against each other? Somehow, it always looks the same. This time, it was Black four-star Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, who sat before the Senate Armed Services Committee and delivered what many in the Pan-African world recognize as a baseless accusation.

Langley alleged that Capt. Traoré was misusing Burkina Faso’s gold reserves. He went on to express concern over the country’s partnerships with China and Russia. “Partnerships” in this context means mutual agreements and cooperation not dictated by the West with ridiculous strings attached. When the U.S. pulled USAID funding, they expected countries to come crawling back. Burkina Faso didn’t. Capt. Ibrahim Traore had a different plan: to become self-sustainable and depend on the land’s resources.

We’ve seen this pattern before

Historically, when African people unite and build independently, it sets off alarms in the West. The success of Black-led movements has consistently been met with sabotage, disdain and death. These attacks, whether economic, political or military, are often carried out with help from within. Some individuals hold the belief that their former colonizer/oppressor will grant them their deepest desires: monetary assets and personal protection. 

Let’s be clear: Once they turn you, they no longer need you, and you are on your own, left to face the people you have betrayed.

Let the facts speak for themselves: 

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as “Black Wall Street,” was burned to the ground by a white mob. It was a prosperous Black community with its own Black-owned banks, hotels, restaurants and schools. Hundreds were killed and thousands displaced in one day — all because they saw us thriving without them. The whites began to owe the Blacks! Jealousy led to accusations, and next, no more “Black Wall Street.”

In 1965, Malcolm X, a man who stood for Blacks, stood up for us and showed many men how to stand for something with purpose. Unfortunately, they lost the lesson. Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, by us – Black people duped by government agents. 

Malcolm X was seen as a threat because of his efforts to unite the African diaspora and speak out against imperialism. “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything,” Malcolm X stated in a 1964 interview. In French: “Un homme qui ne défend rien tombera pour n’importe quoi.” That quote remains a reminder: Betrayal often comes from within.

The same was true for Thomas Sankara, president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He was a revolutionary who renamed the Sahel Country from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, “Land of Upright People,” on Aug. 4, 1984. 

Sankara prioritized the Burkinabé people’s needs and believed that the  land was rich and able to sustain the country without the use of foreign slave aid. Sankara was progressive in the push for education, women’s rights, environmental sustainability and independence from foreign aid. 

Sankara was assassinated by his best friend, bodyguard Blaise Compaoré, in a coup orchestrated with foreign support. The best friend was ousted and exiled from his home country.

From Africa to San Francisco: The Fillmore was no exception 

In the mid-20th century, San Francisco’s Fillmore District, dubbed “Harlem of the West,” was a thriving hub of Black culture. Jazz legends like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Fillmore native Mary Stallings all performed there. The area had strong Black-owned businesses, churches and community organizations.

But in 1959, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency launched “urban renewal” through the Western Addition Project A. The program demolished more than 2,500 businesses and 5,000 homes, displacing over 20,000 Black residents. The city called it “slum clearance.” To the community, it was erasure.

Don’t fall for it again 

Let’s not be fooled by the same playbook.

When we rise, they lie. When we build, they destroy it. When we unify, they infiltrate. Misinformation has always followed our progress.

Capt. Ibrahim Traoré is walking the same path as so many of our leaders who have come before him, standing tall in the face of international pressure, economic intimidation and media distortion.

Now more than ever we must protect and uplift one another across the diaspora. We are a resilient people, from the streets of San Francisco to the gold fields of Ouagadougou. And no amount of strategic splashing will convince us that it’s raining when we know it’s an attack.

Tiy Todd is a student copy editor and writer for San Francisco Bay View. She is a junior at San Francisco State University, a military veteran and a Political Science major. She shares that interning at the SF Bay View is an honor because it gives her the chance to share international affairs, African liberation and the stories that in mainstream media are conveniently ignored or their significance watered down. You can contact Tiy at ttodd@sfsu.edu. 

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Source: https://sfbayview.com/2025/05/dont-pee-on-my-leg-and-tell-me-its-raining/