Obama – Africa`s Pride and Hope

The US-Democrat`s candidate for US presidency Barack Obamas “Hope and Change”- campaign influenced the whole world, of course, but especially the people here in East Africa. The opportunity to have a half-East-African as the most powerful man in the world set the masses under electric voltage. You will not find one single Kenyan, Tanzanian or Ugandan who is not fanatic for Obama. Furthermore many so-called political realists call Obamas thesis too “simple” and “unrealistic” but I think millions of ordinary people all over the world understand it`s barely positive character which is including people, not excluding, which is not awaking fears against somebody to present you as a protection and not raising political profit in planting hate and primitive instincts in the minds of the own clientele. Conservatives will never be able to create a positive vision like this.

Despite the fact that now the USA is the far most hated country in the world – from Asia to Africa, from Europe to Latin America –, despite the fact that current US-Republicans are broadly recognized as the political executors of a mostly white minority, in some parts fundamental christians, in some parts with racist views, with the power of oil and other industries in the background, with no other interest in the world than defend their own property, Barack Obamas pure existence is a symbol to the world that things will may not going worse forever. Of course, Obama is charged with a lot of legendary symbolism between Martin Luther King`s movement for civil rights and John F. Kennedy`s charming and jovial aura and it will be very difficult for him to fulfill all this hopes and dreams he awakened (?) in the people. But his precursor performed so badly and his footsteps will be so small that together with the worlds deep breathe again that this guy is away Obama will have a big credit for making mistakes and find into his presidency step by step.

 I remember what a friend of mine told me about the visit of George W. Bush in Tanzania`s capital Dar Es Salaam in march 2008. He was landing on Nyerere International Airport with three planes, one of them full of security staff, the second full of armored vehicles and the third with himself. Helicopters were circling above Dar Es Salaam downtown, streets were blocked, inhabitants prohibited to enter city center, even the cellular phone network was interrupted for the duration of Bush`s stay in Dar. “What this guy thinks who he is?” my friend said, “He is coming here at the end of his presidency of eight years which clearly proves that we were not important enough for his political agenda and than he invades our capital with his security forces. We are not interested in him and we know that he only appears for bargaining permission for a US military base with our corrupt political leaders.” – “It`s the same like in Germany,” I replied, “of course he was there I think four times but all places he visits were invaded by his guards and sharp shooters, blocking the streets and force ordinary people out, changing previous peaceful locations in fortresses so that everybody knows that the world`s most hated leader is here…”