Themis Podcasts

Author: Themis

Themis is a specialist financial crime risk management agency. Our goal is to reduce the global impacts of financial crime.Themis helps clients and members identify and manage their specific financial crime risks, through a combination of innovation, insight and intelligence.Bringing you interviews and insight from leading investigative journalists, senior business leaders and changemakers who are at the forefront of tackling financial crime.
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Burkina Faso & the Cutting Edge of Propaganda
Episode 2
Monday, 22 December, 2025

How did Burkina Faso become one of the most viral political stories on social media, despite limited internet access at home? In this episode, Henry Wyard, Senior Policy Analyst, and Finlay Taylor, Junior Investigations Analyst, unpack how Burkina Faso has found itself at the forefront of modern disinformation warfare, AI-driven propaganda, and scam ecosystems operating across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and beyond. The discussion explores the global online campaign surrounding military leader Ibrahim Traoré — examining how bot networks, AI-generated videos, deepfakes, click farms and fabricated economic “success stories” are reshaping public perception far beyond West Africa. Key topics covered: How AI has transformed propaganda into scalable, anonymous influence campaigns The role of bots, click farms and astroturfed engagement Fake gold mining claims, deepfake world leaders and AI-generated music propaganda The geopolitical narratives tying Burkina Faso, Russia and anti-Western sentiment Why West Africa’s mineral wealth makes it a strategic disinformation battleground The collapse of democratic norms and the fallout from ECOWAS sanctions How disinformation fuels fraud, scams and financial crime risk This episode breaks down how modern propaganda works, why it spreads and what it means for geopolitics, financial crime and global security, using Burkina Faso as a case study in the future of influence operations. Perfect for viewers interested in: Disinformation | AI & propaganda | Financial crime | Cyber-enabled fraud | Geopolitics | Africa security | OSINT | Risk & intelligence Podcast: Burkina Faso & The Cutting Edge of Propaganda Based on analysis by Finlay Taylor Subscribe for more deep-dive investigations into financial crime, risk and global influence operations.