On this day, 15 October 1987, Burkina Faso's revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara was assassinated during the military coup that brought his former comrade Blaise Compaoré to power.

 Sankara was just 37, but decades later his ideas around Pan-Africanism, self-reliance and resistance to imperialism continue to resonate across the continent. Thirty-nine years on, what explains Sankara's enduring appeal, and how relevant is his political philosophy to Africa today?

Mpho Sithole spoke to David Letsoalo, a Sankarist, activist and law academic, to reflect on Sankara's life, death and legacy.