5 November 2008
staff blog
AllAfrica's Katy Gabel blogs from the birthplace of Barack Obama's father in western Kenya on the first responses to his historic victory. East Africa Time is eight hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time.
7.54 am: A group of Kenyans, including relatives and neighbors, have gathered at the Obama homestead. A group of men and women in front of a television broadcasting breaking news from the U.S. are ululating and singing "we are ready to take the White House."
Nearby, a spit is being prepared for what is sure to be a huge feast later in the day.
7.23 am: "Obama has put Kenya... And the entire continent of Africa on the map," said Bishop Washington Ogonyo Ngede, announcing the results.
7.19 am: Obama's win was just announced. Song, dance and a spontaneous parade started in a matter of seconds.
12 am: It's still early, but Kisumu residents are setting up for a late night of waiting for returns from the United States. A large screen has been installed in the city's largest public park, and MSNBC is available at a number of the city's bars and restaurants. I'm watching a muted footage from an American television station with a medley of locally-produced songs praising Obama. "Tomorrow will be somewhat chaotic," one bar patron tells me.
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It is an abrogation of their duty to inform. There has been hardly an informed article in Kenya's leading papers that takes a sober look at what on Obama presidency may mean to Africa and the aspirations of Africans - not that much. Not unless the Africans put a "game plan" in place - in a hurry.
Yet Kenyans have reason to pause. Even if there is no Kenyan that is an expert on USA and its foreign policy, there are local examples. Even if Kenya has no historians who can talk about Kenya's distant or recent historical relationship with the west, the locals have some experiences they can narrate.
After the recent presidential elections in Kenya, an African-American Condo Rice was in Kenya reading the riot act to the Kenyans - that elections do not mean that you go against the will of the west and the white man. And the will of the white man was that Kibaki shall be prezzo. And Kibaki IS the president. And the west will choose the next president for Kenya.
Will Nigerians, of one of the top ten producers of crude oil in the world, now enjoy more of their country's wealth? Hardly.
Will the banking sector or the macro/micro economic policy of Kenya now be controlled more by the locals? Hardly.
Will the Zimbabweans who would claim that Zimbabwe is their land for the benefit of the Zimbabweans, now get any respect from the USA/EU and the Odingas for their claim to sovereignty? Hardly.
Because that is not how the USA system works. And Obama IS part of the system. And one would expect Africa's leading papers to explain that to their jubilant masses that buy their trash.
Yet, most of Africa's leading papers are foreign owned or, for diverse reasons, kowtowing to the west. In that sense then one may say that their primary duty is to the west and the west's pre-eminence.
ALL of Africa's leading papsers produce "trash," you say? Your evidence please, I say!
Ditto on your assertion of ownership of Africa's leading papers.
What do you mean by the "West"> And,I hope tht your response echoes and ebbs and flows the historical, current and systematic wars of VERBA, reeking in genre ideological, over this contested concept.
Cheers.
Thank you to all the great and wonderful people of Kenya. Your blessing brought about a change never before seen in the history of our country, the United States of America. I am sure you carry the joy of knowing the truth of America as the land of freedom exists in everyone here and that your knowledge of that truth gives you the strength to carry you and your country to the same situation. Again, thank you and God Bless... Robert