Africans in America have achieved their highest goals through peaceful demonstrations and political campaigning, like Rosa Parkes, who resisted white racism. But will an Obama Presidency inspire African leaders and their people towards peaceful attainment of structures for democracy and accountability, which are a part of Obama’s change?
President Barack Obama’s route to the White House is as momentous as the calling of Moses to free the Hebrews from the ethnic rivalry, oppression and slavery prevalent at the time in Pharaoh’s Egypt. Moses’ endeavors brought an end to an era of political and economic repression over one people resulting in the demise of the former dominant political class, because they were not prepared for change. On the other hand Moses and his people crossed over the Red Sea leaving the oppression behind and going on to establish the hallmark of international culture, and religion with laws defining human morality and spirituality and the belief in one universal God. That political victory of Moses over Pharaoh was remarkable because there were no weapons employed and only the voodoo of the gods of Africa were in force to influence the outcome. And so it was with Obama, the gods of Christianity and Islam were raised by bigots, campaigning to dampen support for the young Illinois senator; desperate to derail his campaign, but not a single shot was fired.
And throughout history it is perceivable that the US like ancient Egypt had not been ready for many defining moments that had changed its social fabric, including the 13th and 15th Amendments, Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights of the 1960s and the vote for an African American President. Although the factors that combine to constitute America’s preparedness for change is debateable, it is nevertheless discernible that following initial resistance that greeted most social change in the US, the country has subsequently prospered and become better because of them and benefiting its people.
In his own words it was the few dollars from the poor that motivated Obama’s cause and the brave people who believed in him. The substance and belief of the people were his cause.
The 44th President of the US is either a very special man, anointed for a purpose in the current challenging global environment or a brilliant talent rarely seen on the political circuit. Barack Obama is an African. His father is an African. His wife is an African American whose ancestors endured 400 years of enslavement and oppression and were the beneficiaries of the 13th Amendment. His two girls are African Americans and they reside in the White House, together with the first black first Lady and first Black President. Everything is a first, the first black children to have a father who is a President of the US, the first black woman to be married to a President of the US and so on and so forth. It all suggests that the first Black residents in the White House could become the subjects of other firsts, some good and others not so good, so the world should not be surprised. And one such change that would be heartily greeted would be, the first President of the US that treated Africa as a friend, in the same way they relate to Europe.
The Presidency of the US is fascinating and none more so than the current one. Obama was elected on a mandate of change and is himself a visible agent of that change. But at what stage do we accept that America has changed and that another era in the country’s illustrious and dynamic evolution has begun? Many people consider Obama to be the fulfilment of Martin Luther King’s 1960s Civil Rights Movement and the key agent to bring about change. But is the mere process of change which is always ongoing, the change sought by many, and has the cost of the changes anticipated by Luther King, a non racial America, already been paid in full or must Obama and his family endure more costs. The mere presence of a first black family residing in the White House is by itself only the beginning of the change process, what might be better criteria is the completion of Obama’s first 4 years in office. If it is a complete cycle akin to others before we could be justified in truly saying that change has taken place in the US.
Much has been said of President Obama’s African heritage, but little about how it will affect his government’s foreign policy? Africans everywhere are aware of President Obama’s Kenyan father, which makes him African according to African tradition. His election success has reverberated around the world and has coloured the psychologies of most people, who considered his victory to have been a remarkable, almost miraculous event. Obama’s victory is however most profound among Africans and people of African heritage in the Diaspora, among whom the President of the US has the honoured status of being the new “number one soul brother”. The people of Africa have acquired added esteem from the soul of Obama and his magnificent victory, but African governments though steep in admiration and aware of the historical occasion of the Obama presidency, are not expecting any prospective benefits from his foreign policy because they know that:
a) US foreign policy have always been self-centred, seeking to exploit instead of mutual partnerships
b) The US has been adversely affected by the Credit Crunch, two wars and appears to be bankrupt having to depend upon support from China and elsewhere
c) The new President will need to deal with major geopolitical challenges including a looming recession foreign wars and rising unemployment
d) The current representative structure in the US political constitution does not augur well for change because power lies in the hands of the US Congress, the law makers, and not with Obama
African leaders know that the colour which makes Obama so appealing is totally subjected to his real mission and the cause of Corporate America and the western world. Whatever benefit might accrue to Africa especially in Obama’s first term, will be nothing more than tokenism, a gesture by the very powerful to remind the poor where authority lies and the virtues of hope and loyalty.
The charismatic Obama would likely impress upon his Administration and Congress to be more judicious when dealing with foreign policy and trade with African nations. The President is very familiar with Africa and the challenges affecting development in the continent. And as an African, he must have marvelled at the fantastic failures of so many African leaders and their psychopathic behaviour that has led to trails of death and destruction across the entire continent. A history that would be sure to make an African conscious president err on the side of caution and give a little at a time; the carrot and stick approach, like a new and more revamped Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, supporting fully the Millennium Development Goals and support for more investment in the continent.
But would a carrot and stick approach inspire African leaders? And how will African leaders fit into the ‘Change’ that brought President Obama to the White House?
Most African leaders govern in fear; fear that the political benefits of high office will come under threat from ambitious progressives. And until recently government in Africa was all about patronage; the type that existed under traditional African Chieftaincy, paramount to sustaining law and order and stability, in which there was no room for opposition. This form of government was perpetuated by the division of the continent into ethnic zones by colonialists, and the domination of one group over others.
Barack Obama’s criticism of the Mugabe regime as recent as 2008, suggest that he aspire towards workable democratic transparent structures in place inside Africa- the same structures that were capable of achieving historical precedents in the US, that catapulted the son of an humble African immigrant into the seat of the President of the US. Without these structures of democracy, for trade politics and government, the change in engagement anticipated between African nations and the US will remain unrealized.
PULL OUTS
Many people consider Obama to be the fulfilment of Martin Luther King’s 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
The charismatic Obama would likely impress upon his Administration and Congress to be more judicious when dealing with foreign policy and trade with African nations.
President Barack Obama’s route to the White House is as momentous as the calling of Moses to free the Hebrews from the ethnic rivalry, oppression and slavery prevalent at the time in Pharaoh’s Egypt. Moses’ endeavors brought an end to an era of political and economic repression over one people resulting in the demise of the former dominant political class, because they were not prepared for change. On the other hand Moses and his people crossed over the Red Sea leaving the oppression behind and going on to establish the hallmark of international culture, and religion with laws defining human morality and spirituality and the belief in one universal God. That political victory of Moses over Pharaoh was remarkable because there were no weapons employed and only the voodoo of the gods of Africa were in force to influence the outcome. And so it was with Obama, the gods of Christianity and Islam were raised by bigots, campaigning to dampen support for the young Illinois senator; desperate to derail his campaign, but not a single shot was fired.
And throughout history it is perceivable that the US like ancient Egypt had not been ready for many defining moments that had changed its social fabric, including the 13th and 15th Amendments, Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights of the 1960s and the vote for an African American President. Although the factors that combine to constitute America’s preparedness for change is debateable, it is nevertheless discernible that following initial resistance that greeted most social change in the US, the country has subsequently prospered and become better because of them and benefiting its people.
In his own words it was the few dollars from the poor that motivated Obama’s cause and the brave people who believed in him. The substance and belief of the people were his cause.
The 44th President of the US is either a very special man, anointed for a purpose in the current challenging global environment or a brilliant talent rarely seen on the political circuit. Barack Obama is an African. His father is an African. His wife is an African American whose ancestors endured 400 years of enslavement and oppression and were the beneficiaries of the 13th Amendment. His two girls are African Americans and they reside in the White House, together with the first black first Lady and first Black President. Everything is a first, the first black children to have a father who is a President of the US, the first black woman to be married to a President of the US and so on and so forth. It all suggests that the first Black residents in the White House could become the subjects of other firsts, some good and others not so good, so the world should not be surprised. And one such change that would be heartily greeted would be, the first President of the US that treated Africa as a friend, in the same way they relate to Europe.
The Presidency of the US is fascinating and none more so than the current one. Obama was elected on a mandate of change and is himself a visible agent of that change. But at what stage do we accept that America has changed and that another era in the country’s illustrious and dynamic evolution has begun? Many people consider Obama to be the fulfilment of Martin Luther King’s 1960s Civil Rights Movement and the key agent to bring about change. But is the mere process of change which is always ongoing, the change sought by many, and has the cost of the changes anticipated by Luther King, a non racial America, already been paid in full or must Obama and his family endure more costs. The mere presence of a first black family residing in the White House is by itself only the beginning of the change process, what might be better criteria is the completion of Obama’s first 4 years in office. If it is a complete cycle akin to others before we could be justified in truly saying that change has taken place in the US.
Much has been said of President Obama’s African heritage, but little about how it will affect his government’s foreign policy? Africans everywhere are aware of President Obama’s Kenyan father, which makes him African according to African tradition. His election success has reverberated around the world and has coloured the psychologies of most people, who considered his victory to have been a remarkable, almost miraculous event. Obama’s victory is however most profound among Africans and people of African heritage in the Diaspora, among whom the President of the US has the honoured status of being the new “number one soul brother”. The people of Africa have acquired added esteem from the soul of Obama and his magnificent victory, but African governments though steep in admiration and aware of the historical occasion of the Obama presidency, are not expecting any prospective benefits from his foreign policy because they know that:
a) US foreign policy have always been self-centred, seeking to exploit instead of mutual partnerships
b) The US has been adversely affected by the Credit Crunch, two wars and appears to be bankrupt having to depend upon support from China and elsewhere
c) The new President will need to deal with major geopolitical challenges including a looming recession foreign wars and rising unemployment
d) The current representative structure in the US political constitution does not augur well for change because power lies in the hands of the US Congress, the law makers, and not with Obama
African leaders know that the colour which makes Obama so appealing is totally subjected to his real mission and the cause of Corporate America and the western world. Whatever benefit might accrue to Africa especially in Obama’s first term, will be nothing more than tokenism, a gesture by the very powerful to remind the poor where authority lies and the virtues of hope and loyalty.
The charismatic Obama would likely impress upon his Administration and Congress to be more judicious when dealing with foreign policy and trade with African nations. The President is very familiar with Africa and the challenges affecting development in the continent. And as an African, he must have marvelled at the fantastic failures of so many African leaders and their psychopathic behaviour that has led to trails of death and destruction across the entire continent. A history that would be sure to make an African conscious president err on the side of caution and give a little at a time; the carrot and stick approach, like a new and more revamped Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, supporting fully the Millennium Development Goals and support for more investment in the continent.
But would a carrot and stick approach inspire African leaders? And how will African leaders fit into the ‘Change’ that brought President Obama to the White House?
Most African leaders govern in fear; fear that the political benefits of high office will come under threat from ambitious progressives. And until recently government in Africa was all about patronage; the type that existed under traditional African Chieftaincy, paramount to sustaining law and order and stability, in which there was no room for opposition. This form of government was perpetuated by the division of the continent into ethnic zones by colonialists, and the domination of one group over others.
Barack Obama’s criticism of the Mugabe regime as recent as 2008, suggest that he aspire towards workable democratic transparent structures in place inside Africa- the same structures that were capable of achieving historical precedents in the US, that catapulted the son of an humble African immigrant into the seat of the President of the US. Without these structures of democracy, for trade politics and government, the change in engagement anticipated between African nations and the US will remain unrealized.
PULL OUTS
Many people consider Obama to be the fulfilment of Martin Luther King’s 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
The charismatic Obama would likely impress upon his Administration and Congress to be more judicious when dealing with foreign policy and trade with African nations.
