As y’all will probably know, I am not necessarily a member of the Obamania club BUT that doesn’t stop his election from being a huge moment in history.
Here’s what I hope it’ll mean to African people:
1) That people will finally recognize that we are all equal and we are all human.
2) Other races and nationalities will stop looking down on us.
3) People will expand what they think is possible.
4) People will go after the impossible.
5) If someone ever tells you something can’t be done just look em in the eye and tell em
If Barrack Hussein Obama, son of a man from Kogelo, Siaya (thanks for the correction), Kenya can become the emperor of the world, then, dang, anything is possible!
I understand that in many parts of the world tomorrow is a public holiday so to y’all Happy Obama Day and y’all have a magnificent evening or night.
Mwangi
Tags: American elections, Barrack Hussein Obama, Barrack Obama, Obama
I do sincerely hope that this broadens the horizons and minds of all.
Point of correction: Our son is from Kogelo, Siaya đ
@who me: Why thank you for the correction? We all know where the spiritual centre of the western part of Kenya is…………lakeside, I say đ
I do agree that congratulations are in order for America, esp this showing that for once America can look past race.
But America though it does set many trends in the World, it stopped ruling the World a long time ago. It’s a trendsetter but China owns the world :).
@acolyte: True dat, they actually looked at the quality of his perceived character and at the campaign and didn’t see the melanin…astounding.
I think with all those nuclear warheads and quite a bit of money still floating around, America is far from out of the race for who runs the world.
You need to take a look at the trade deficits to realize who actually owns the world my dear friend.
China and Russia also do have a quite a number of warheads. Why do you think when they decide to do their own thing you dont hear nary a peep from the States?
WHAT IS KENYAS GIFT TO OBAMA???
Even as we celebrate Obamaâs success story, even as we with fingers closed wait for his inauguration as the 1st half black President of the USA. We need as Kenyans to ask ourselves this fundamental question. What has been our contribution to Obama Success?
His BIOLOGICAL father was a Kenyan, who however abandoned his son and escaped any responsibilities of child support. Infact Obama confesses that he learnt more form his Kenyan âfatherâ absence than from his presence. This is kenyaâs EMBARASSMENT NO. 1. So his real father was the parents who took Obama in and saw him through his childhood and teenage years giving him the values that he now holds. Thatâs the reality Kenyans.
His âCousinâ Raila has all along been a source of discredit to his good reputation. Raila with his VIOLENT NATURE, COMMUNIST ORIENTATIONS, MUSLIM ASSOCIATIONS have all been used against Obama. Infact, Raila in himself has cost Obama some support and Obama campaign team had to work hard to show how distant in thinking and association these two men are. This is Kenyaâs EMBARASSMENT 2. It has not gone unnoticed to the Mc Cain campaign team that Raila call for mass protest in Kenya led to over 1500 deaths. This explains why Obama banished Raila from any visits to his campaign or why Obama campaign team has consistently turned down on 4 occassions RAILAâS MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS totaling 40,000 USD.
Obamaâs Aunt who also happen to be Kenyan has been an illegal immigrant in US for a while. This was also ANOTHER EMBARRASSMENT from yet another Kenyan.
Infact, we OWE OBAMA AN APOLOGY AS A COUNTRY. With all these bad publicity from Kenyaâs heritage, Obama has been understanding enough not to talk ill of us. For that we should be grateful.
Looking on the other side, Obamaâs real family in the US has been a SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND GOOD PUBLICITY. Yet, they have been quite about it as we in Kenya tell the whole world how Kenyan Obama is.
So the reality is that KENYA HAS BEEN AN EMBARASSMENT TO OBAMA.
Owuor,
How shallow of you? Those are 3 incindences where Kenyans have “failed” Obama and now all of a sudden those 3 incidences dictate what the entire populace of Kenya is? First and foremost, your points are all null. Point 1, BOTH his parents abandoned him. Point 2, Raila never mattered on the American side of politics, that agenda was only a hot button on the Kenyan side, notice how Fox News never pursued that coz they knew they’d look stupid and desperate. Although Obama’s camp did distance itself from Raila to avoid any issues. Point 3, his aunt being illegally in the country has nothing to do with Obama, if she had been living in his domicile and Obama knew she was undocumented, that would be different. If anything that whole issue actually helped Obama because Federal laws were broken by someone from the DHS leaking that, it just made Repubs look even more desperate.
Your post is on the half empty side as you refuse/ignore to acknowledge the numerous Kenyans who volunteered for days and in some cases months just to see this day arrive. We will not sit back and have you slap us in the face just coz you have inferiority issues.
Mwangi, it is still not too late to join the Underground movement, believing in your abilities is one of the requirements of admission. Re read your post, and then soul search. Remember your ‘ The empty symbol that is Obama’ piece??? All it took is belief in the impossible, had we not dared to believe, this day may not have happened. That belief started with President Elect Obama, and we of the Underground movement decided to believe in him and follow quietly behind him while every pundit wrote him off. What I hope this election means for you is the belief beyond what you perceive as reality, the persistence and courage to go where no one else dares.
Think about this quote
Victory belongs to the most perservering——–Napoleon Bonaparte.
@acolyte: I am far from a foreign affair expert. I heard someone say that as great as the debt that America has with China, all America would have to do to correct the situation is devalue its dollar and that would greatly reduce China’s leverage.
Anyway if you are right, hopefully other smaller, poorer, marginalized countries will take advantage of this imbalance to themselves pull ahead and bring prosperity and peace to their borders.
@Owuor: I don’t think we should necessarily apologize because of things that are and aren’t true that may or may have not influenced the American perception against Obama. I think that would be a bit much especially when you pause to consider that when its all said and done as a nation we don’t really owe Obama much and neither does he.
@Nerimae: I have never doubted the potential that we as African people have, heck that everyone has, but I still hold on to the ideas of the article, we shouldn’t invest so heavily in him when he has never said or taken action to show that he will do the same for us.
It is a huge occasion for black folks all over the world no doubt and we have moved closer and closer to an egalitarian society, no doubt about that. But he isn’t our president and its not like we won’t need visas to visit the States now.
So my joy at the occasion still doesn’t take away from what I said in the article.
Yes it a great moment in history but now the reality is that he is following a template made for him by Liberal westerns who have backed him all the way. These mean one thing gay marriages to name few etc. We also would see uncle sam finaling appologizing for slavery and others issues which still do not address the core issues of today societies which is is no longer about not only race but the class you come from. In european society the people from lower classes have long realized that racism is used to divide and rule society by elite rich who themselve are further divided into some interest based class.
The western media is much to blame for problems we see today in which in capitalistic society everyone is busy creating divisions etc today it widely believed that muslims are all violent before that it was irish. It seem nowadays the western society has already defined for us what is right or wrong in sense that even bible,quran and torah could not influence people to that extent. It worrying times a black man being president is milestone in human relation but let not take away the facts is that system he is proping up is the problem not the americans people. The capitalism is a bankrupt entity that even Obama would find hard to succeed in such narrow individualistic concept that see few bank trillions in bank accounts while poor are dying around the globe. The present war in congo is sad to witness and i hope to god that he (Obama) would find solution for africa which would free us from bondage to greed,war,corruption, famile, aids and others problems. I think real change would be total collapse of western capitalism and it off shoot the liberals.
These are not going to bring any change to the world we know today which is becoming dangerous due to ideological differences. USA is no longer seen as moral force due to it double standard foreign policy in middle east and the war in iraq. It seem such is the situation obama is inheriting let hope they rejoin the world community in suing for peace and human dignity.
@Owuor
I think you are absolutely wrong about obama and Raila issue also to correct they are not cousins at all. Also what is wrong if he is involved with muslims are you saying their are no muslims in kenya. Have you subtracted North, Eastern and coast province rom kenya map?? … all these regions are muslim majority and if raila was courting them to be elected president of kenya what is wrong??? …… I think it time people stand up for their right we muslims today have endured hatred propelled by far right of bush administration….. It seem the world never learns it lesson since they elect obama and they are not targeting blacks but muslims based on few individual or some fiction who are hell bent on violence for it own sake…..I thinks you stop watching to much fox news cause it may blind you to reality…. Those who spread hate also perish by hate.
Hey! People, stop party pooping. You’ll criticise Kenya, Kenyans, Raila etc later. Let’s celebrate for now.
The guy has made history, and though his father deserted him etc, Kenya still got bragging rights, because he recognises his roots are here.
Go Obama!
BTW, yes Mwangi, today was a holiday, I kinda wished it was tomorrow but well… rumour is that Uganda have 3 public holidays. Trust our leaders to be so shallow, but enjoy we did.
I think you missed the whole point. I said in your other piece that Obama was not going to do much for Africa, when he does do something I hope his first priority will be Darfur. W e are not supporting him to get something in return, we are supporting him to create an even playing field for our children and their children’s children. This victory will impact the psyche of a 5 year old in Harlem, in Kibera, in Soweto, in New Delhi, that YES they too can aim higher. That was the purpose of the support, not for monetary compensation.
@Hussein: It is interesting how the nationally accepted profiling has changed from profiling of blacks to the profiling of muslims and how so many people agree with it and use all sorts of justifications for it.
You do have a point that the system is definitely a flawed system (how people can justify that capitalism works when majority of the people influenced by it have always been poor…..one will never know) and I am sure you also wait to see just how much he will go against the grain or whether he will stick to it. After all it looks like the Afghanistan war is not going anywhere, American military adventures are also here to stay as well as the Middle East situation, so you just might be right……..
@Kelly: UG has 3 holidays??!! LOL. My my my, its interesting to see how at any moment in time people are still capable of faith and hope even in the most, cynical and fearful times and places.
Y’all enjoy yourselves.
@Nerimae: On that fact (that he expands our horizons as African people) I think all of us, even some who don’t like his politics, totally agree, as do I.
@mwangi
Yes well observed. Now the excitement has died let see real obama from electioneering obama. He would come to conclusion that bush is not the problem but the system that allows him to declare war only for it interest, Yet while we watch broken little children dying in congo. Which reminds all the bravado of US military they are spineless lot who can only fight for oil while devalue human life. Mankind need a much high being to deal with injustice visited in our continent.
Ahhh, the whole world is beyond itself with excitement about President-elect ObamaâŚthe only people that are half-excited for him surprisingly areâŚ.hmmm..Kenyans??? Some Naija friends of mine are like, âIf he was a Naija., the aliens, extra-terrestrials, Mars, Venus and the entire galaxy would go deaf hearing about it.â Our fellow Africans are celebrating more than us for the mere fact that his dad came from a country in Africa.
Ok,
@Mwangi: Itâs not so much as us resting on our laurels now that we have âour ownâ in the White House, and waiting for the dollars to waft in our direction, as it is the fact that our continent which has been viewed as obscure, dark and savage has given the world a leader. So I agree with the points you have laid out.
Second point: I keep on repeating this, like Iâm a broken record, âThis is the 21st century, we live in a shrunken interconnected world. The world is âsmallerâ than ever. Some trouble in one part of the world has the ability to affect a region, and ultimately the world. Example: The Rwanda Genocide (14 years ago) spilled beyond Rwanda. Burundi, Uganda and Congo were affected; this was the Great Lakes Crisis, which in reality has never ended, and is rearing itâs ugly head currently in Congo. Number two, the U.S sneezes and the free market economies catch cold; the credit crunch that begun there is affecting banks all over, Iceland has felt the biggest blow (I stand corrected.)
@ Acolyte: The U.S of A is a superpower in crisis. Facing troubled times all at one go, but still a superpower. China, India and Russia are barging through, granted. In my view, China is the newest kid on the âWorld Blocâ with Superpower status. For a Superpower to be, the sum-total factor has to come into consideration; military, economic, political and cultural might. In many respects, China is a formidable power, in many others that power has itâs limitations. The worldâs currency is still pegged to the dollar, and not to the Yuan. Another issue, for a country to be the Superpower, she has to have the ability to dictate foreign policy to other nations. I donât foresee any power nudging the U.S off her Superpower pedestal anytime soon. A big possibility is that the âNew World Orderâ is headed to a place where it is multipolar where influence over other nations is shared by a few nations as opposed to unipolar where a singular power calls the shots.
@Owour: I wish you would look at the bigger picture. I donât think Kenya is an embarrassment to Obama, if it were, he wouldnât have bothered to make trips there. Obama has visited Kenya three times, the first in 1987 when he met with his extended family for the first time, and more recently in 2006. I think he has been very clear in his recognition of his Kenyan roots, a factor that has been included in his book ´Dreams from my father.´ One journalist commented that his visits to Kenya were more of ´beefing up´ his foreign policy credentials than a homecoming, but I beg to differ, his first visit was way before he even thought of entering politics.
My point: I reckon for now the most urgent thing on Obamaâs plate is the U.S economy. I think as many commentators note âhe needs to hit the ground runningâ and deal with several issues at a go. While his focus is on the U.S at the moment, the African Union needs to intervene in the Congo crisis. Iâm outta hereâŚstill recovering from an âObama victory bash.â
@Hussein: If a wish were a horse, the horse I would ride all the time is the horse of, ” I wish divine powers would directly intercede on a regular basis as parents would a wayward child,”, it would make this world so much more peaceful.
I guess we are all waiting to see. Apparently if you go to his new site http://www.change.gov, he and his cabinet are taking suggestions……..
@Carol: People in Kenya are going stark-raving mad actually. I think throughout Africa they are people who are weary because we know since we met the West in the scramble for Africa they have always found a way to exploit us for their benefit and so to expect hundreds of years of established history to change simply because one piece of the puzzle has changed would actually be quite naive of us….after all the military-corporate-industrial structures and organizations are still around and it would be a tall order to expect one man to revolutionize them and their objectives.
Ugh, as one of the Obama supporters during primaries I’m having a hard time feeling good that THIS is what we fought so hard for… Hands up if you think he’ll see another term?