NOVEMBER 2008 "US Election: a view from Africa"

(Sorry this is so belated. We wrote it shortly after the November elections, but almost continuous chaos in our lives since then somehow prevented us from posting it until now...)

On Wednesday morning, I woke up at 5 am, unable to sleep any longer. I immediately logged on to the internet to see the progress of the election. Results were still coming in with most of the east coast reporting. Obama had a sizeable lead in the electoral votes, but many of the traditionally conservative Midwestern states were not yet decided. When we couldn’t stand the tension anymore, we decided to go for a swim. When we got back, Patrick yelled out that McCain had conceded. I didn’t think it was possible. We heard the radio on at Vincent’s house and lots of shouting and cheering so we went to his door. He was out so we stood in the doorway and listened to Obama’s victory speech over the Kenyan radio. I had goosebumps and eyes brimming with tears. Immediately afterwards, the text messages started flying. All kinds of excitement and congratulations from every corner. Many of our Kenyan friends had stayed up all night watching the results unfold.

For the first time in a long time, I felt very proud of my country. More like, proud of my countrymen. In a time of extreme uncertainty, we took a big risk and did something we’ve never done before. We embraced change but we also embraced our identity – the reality is that Obama, a person of color, a man whose parents are from abroad, reflects more accurately our country and our future than ever before. And his connections to Africa and southeast asia represent our global citizenship.

The president of Kenya immediately called a national holiday for President-elect Obama to be celebrated on the following day. It is hard to describe how much pride Kenayans take in Obama. They feel personally responsible for who he is and what he has achieved. For them, Obama is KENYAN, he is one of them. And he has inspired them on a personal level in terms of what one can achieve with education and hard work, and Americans have inspired them by having a very peaceful election in such a contentious time. Some people were very upset that Kibaki called a holiday. They felt it was a bit humiliating to have a holiday for someone else’s president and they also felt that it called attention to the stark contrast between the US election and the bloody aftermath of the Kenyan elections less than a year earlier. I personally think he did it because no one from Western Kenya (home of Obama’s father’s tribe) was going to be able to work with the hangover they were going to have anyway, so he might as well beat them to the punch.

A few days after the election, Patrick and I went to Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a conservative muslim Swahili island. It was the first time in a long time that I have traveled anywhere and not been ashamed to say that I am American. Everywhere we went you could hear people talking about Obama – in the streets, in the coffee houses, in the little shops. Even Tanzanians took a great personal pride in Obama. It was almost as if they had elected him! I wore an Obama election pin that was a gift from an American colleague. I had countless expressions of goodwill, congratulations and excited conversations arising from that pin. One guy saw the pin and told us that there would be an Obama rally on Sunday night at the main amphitheater and invited us to attend. He also encouraged us to visit the Obama tree! Apparently, there is a local guy who was so inspired by Obama that he has been literally campaigning for Obama on Zanzibar. They call him the little Obama or the Obama of Zanzibar.

The rally was mind-blowing. There were young Muslim men waving American flags shouting God Bless America. The entire audience, which consisted mostly of locals including a sizeable contingent of Masai, were shouting “Yes we can!” and “Yes we DID”. There were musical groups who had composed songs to congratulate Obama, ranging from traditional Swahili music to rap. Then there was a speech by little Obama which was a mixture of congratulations (mostly to Africa, who he maintained had a right to be proud of Obama), an exhortation to Tanzanians and to Africans to fight for good governance and education, and even a reprimand to African leaders to learn to concede like McCain. My favorite was the Zanzibarian challenge to the world. It read: Obama inspires Masai folks, he inspires Zanzibar, Africa and the world. He is ready, so is the world. America are you ready?

It is impossible to describe the level of hope, excitement and goodwill that this election has brought to the whole world. People truly feel that Obama belongs to them as well as to America. More than anything, what this election has demonstrated is that the world is ready to embrace a new era and make a complete break with the past without holding onto grudges. I just pray that America is ready, too. Just imagine, last time we were in Lamu, also a traditional Muslim-Swahili island, there were graffiti of Osama Bin Laden everywhere and anti-American slogans and threats. In some cases, people treated us with contempt - stark contrast to the warm greetings and excited congratulations of this past weekend.

There are of course fears that expectations are too high and Obama cannot possibly fulfill them. (In the case of Kenya, he certainly will not! Rumors of new schools and roads and travel to America without visas have been rife!) No one can make decisions that please everyone all the time and so I am certain that he will disappoint people. But no matter what happens next, the important thing is that the American people have not disappointed the world. By voting for such an abrupt and complete departure from business as usual, we have said something to the world that will not change no matter what happens next. There is something indelible that has happened.

PS. Be sure to check out the video we posted about the rally!