Fahamu (Oxford)
29 October 2009
African peoples of all backgrounds, academics and governments have long been concerned about the image of Africa in the West. More recently, countries are being encouraged to re-brand themselves for the Western market and entrepreneurs, from a place of wild animals and semi-naked tribal peoples, to modern spaces where business can be conducted with efficiency and in languages that can be ...
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Thank you for writing a balanced and nuanced analysis of the role and the potential effect of the Obama Administration in a less-than "Post-Racial" world. Although I did not vote for Mr. Obama, I am pleased that so many have been inspired by his ascendancy to power, and that so many people have an expanded vision of their own possibilities.
I truly hope that both Africans and Blacks in the Diaspora understand the dangers of being lulled into some form of complacency by symbolic change. Unfortunately, the election of President Obama, or of a woman of any race, may be more of an attempt by the white power structure at rebranding the excesses of American Empire to make them appear to be more palatable to its traditional victims than a catalyst for real change. Only time will tell..