Posted by KrysWebOmoge on April 21, 2009 at 12:58pm
I was talking with a friend the other day and he asked me what has Obama done for U.S,is things better.i reponded that it is getting better and he has done much.He then said nigeria was excited for him everyone was saying Nigeria will get better and things are the same here.I ke told my friend that it will take God for America and Nigeria one man can't do it..and that Obama has family in Africa he can't forget Africa.Here is a articalI would like to share for all whom feel as my friend does that I read on tonight.
Obama Administration And Africa: Great Expectations, Practical Realities
Chinua Akukwe
January 21, 2009
Barack Obama is sworn in as 44th US president by Chief Justice John Roberts beside wife Michelle on January 20, 2009 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo: Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images)
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States has been hailed worldwide as a remarkable watershed in America’s history. Barack Obama's election and assumption of office has raised extraordinary expectations. No where are these expectations more stratospheric than in Africa, the continent of birth of the 44th President’s father. Africans of all political persuasions, ethnicity and religion expect President Obama to keep faith with his deep African roots and make a difference in the continent. I briefly discuss great expectations of the Obama presidency in Africa and the domestic practical realities in the United State. I end by indicating how best President Obama can have substantial impact in Africa during his first term in Office.
Great Expectations in Africa
The election and swearing in of the son of an African father is a source of pride and joy in Africa as shown by the widespread coverage of the election night and swearing in ceremony in the continent by domestic and international media. Barack Obama campaigned as a change agent and Africans expect his change mantra to extend to Africa. Africans expect a lot from President Obama because he has traveled in Africa for more than 20 years, including the years he traveled to spend time with his relatives in Kenya. Reportedly, the future president slept on the floor in the modest homes of relatives and also assisted his step-grandmother in her petty trading in the local market. Unlike other US presidents, Barack Obama knows Africa from the ground up. Africans also expect a lot from President Obama because of his knowledge of poverty and political instability he witnessed as a kid in Indonesia. His relatively modest upbringing in Hawaii also reinforces the perception that he understands the hard choices struggling families make everyday. As the first African-American president of the United States, Africans know that Barack Obama is making history and inspiring individuals and families around the world. As a US President with deep African roots, the perception is that Barack Obama will pull no punches with African leaders regarding development strategies. As a successful community organizer in poverty-stricken Chicago neighborhoods during the early stages of his career, Africans widely believe that he understands the need for grassroots, community-based, sustainable development strategies.
However, great expectations of President Obama in Africa will run into domestic practical realities in the United States.
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