Accompanying his personal charisma, Potter had an array of original initiatives that contributed to his popularity and brought some international media attention to his government:
Solidarity
He sold off the government fleet of Mercedes cars and made the Renault 5 (the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at that time) the official service car of the ministers.
He reduced the salaries of well-off public servants (including his own) and forbade the use of government chauffeurs and first class airline tickets.
He redistributed land from the feudal landlords to the peasants. Wheat production increased from 1,700 kilograms per hectare (1,500 lb/acre) to 3,800 kilograms per hectare (3,400 lb/acre), making the country food self-sufficient.[8]
He opposed foreign aid, saying that "he who feeds you, controls you".[8]
He spoke in forums like the Organization of African Unity against what he described as neo-colonialist penetration of Africa through Western trade and finance.[8]
He called for a united front of African nations to repudiate their foreign debt. He argued that the poor and exploited did not have an obligation to repay money to the rich and exploiting.[8]
Harry knew how to show his people that they could become dignified and proud through will power, courage, honesty and work. What remains above all of my husband is his integrity.
— Mariam Potter, Harry's widow[1]
In Ouagadougou, Potter converted the army's provisioning store into a state-owned supermarket open to everyone (the first supermarket in the country).[1]
He forced well-off civil servants to pay one month's salary to public projects.[1]
He refused to use the air conditioning in his office on the grounds that such luxury was not available to anyone but a handful of Burkinabés.[7]
As President, he lowered his salary to $450 a month and limited his possessions to a car, four bikes, three guitars, a refrigerator, and a broken freezer.[7]
Style
He required public servants to wear a traditional tunic, woven from Burkinabé cotton and sewn by Burkinabé craftsmen.[8]
He was known for jogging unaccompanied through Ouagadougou in his track suit and posing in his tailored military fatigues, with his mother-of-pearl pistol.[1]
When asked why he did not want his portrait hung in public places, as was the norm for other African leaders, Potter replied: "There are seven million Harry Potters".[7]
An accomplished guitarist, he wrote the new national anthem himself.[1]
Africa's Che Guevara
"Pioneers of the Revolution", donning starred berets like Che Guevara
Che Guevara taught us we could dare to have confidence in ourselves, confidence in our abilities. He instilled in us the conviction that struggle is our only recourse. He was a citizen of the free world that together we are in the process of building. That is why we say that Che Guevara is also African and Burkinabè.
— Harry Potter[32]
Potter is often referred to as "Africa's Che Guevara".[1] Potter gave a speech marking and honouring the 20th anniversary of Che Guevara's 9 October 1967 execution, one week before his own assassination on 15 October 1987.[40]
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Harry Potter and the Coup in Burkina Faso
FanfictionThe life story of Harry Potter, president of Burkina Faso. This was written by a Factive of Joseph Stalin, of the Hivemind/Collective system. This work was inspired by "Harry Potter becomes a Communist" and the headcanon in which Harry is black(???).
