Cabral Pinto
7 November 2008
opinion
Nairobi — A non-white has become the American president for the first time. You may call Barack Obama black, African-American, Kenyan-American or simply American. In electing him, Americans have given content to their vision of US citizenry.
The US had given the impression that the top political leadership is the preserve of its white male citizens. This has been proved untrue, and it is only a matter of time before America elects a woman president.
This victory is likely to be accompanied by many commentaries, perspectives, challenges and threats, but for Kenyans who believe in transformation politics, alternatives and new leadership, there are lessons to be learnt.
One of the positive results of Kenya's post-election violence is the birth of a social movement of transformation leadership that is committed to economic, social, cultural, spiritual and political change.
It comprises progressive Kenyans committed to fundamental reforms. Fortunately for the movement, current politicians are so arrogant that they believe the country has to accept them as eternal leaders. This arrogance is manifested in the manner leaders have dismissed the Waki report.
At the Bomas constitution review talks, the politicians fought hard to torpedo the provision for the recall of MPs who cease to represent their constituents' interests.
What lessons can the social movement learn from the Obama victory? If a social movement calls for change it has to articulate it properly. The movement must go beyond, for instance, the ODM rhetoric of fundamental change versus the status quo.
Kenyans must be convinced they have vested interest in the change being proposed. They are not moved by just promises; they wish also to know the challenges as well as what may, or may not, be done, and if they may be involved.
The Obama campaign articulated the change middle-class and ordinary Americans would see as possible and worth voting for. In particular, it dealt with economic issues that transcend race and other divisive issues.
The movement has to come up with a message of change that cannot be shot down on ethnic, racial, regional, religious, gender or generational grounds.
The Obama victory has shown the wisdom of investing in the youth's energy, creativity, volunteerism and the quest for change. In the Kenyan case, we are talking about a social group that makes up over 60 per cent of the population. Indeed, 89 per cent of Kenyans are under 30, the social group whose interests the current crop of politicians know nothing about.
The only time they think of them is when they wish to recruit them into illegal militias, shock troops and as pimps and mistresses. The movement must give concrete hope to the youth for it to have a chance of success.
The Obama triumph confirms that elections can be won without relying on resources from the rich. Kenyan politicians are arrogant because of their resources, including violence machinery.
The US president-elect has shown that the people can fund-raise for a cause they believe in. Obama can perhaps rightly claim to be the American people's representative. They paid for his campaign and supported as well as volunteered for his call for change.
It is important for the movement to realise that Kenya has a precedent of what has happened in the US. Kenya's independence struggle was funded by ordinary Kenyans -- right from Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's campaigns in the UK and those of the first elected members of the then Legislative Council (LegCo) as well as care for detained freedom fighters' material needs.
The Obama victory shows that change can occur within the mainstream political parties. He worked and mobilised within the Democratic party. It may be remembered that the Narc reformers had the same dream of vanguishing politicians from within the party structures.
But the experiment failed miserably. Why did the reformers sell out to the conservative forces in the party? Only Prof Yash Pal Ghai, Mr John Githongo and Mr Maina Kiai survived.
The Obama victory proves that party structures are important, and the movement must bear this in mind.
The movement should learn about Obama's emergence as a political leader in many of the projects he was involved in. Leaders emerge in movements if such organisations give priority to the struggle for their leadership.
Kenya has a precedent in this; Kenyatta's track record made him the undisputable leader of the independence struggle. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga became the undisputable leader of the masses because he was able to articulate opposition to the Kanu dictatorship consistently and courageously.
Thus, as they celebrate the Obama victory, Kenyans should realise that he now presides over a great empire premised on the vision that America is the world and the world is America.
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2nd stry- sorry, an ad overwrites part of the comment page. I've read so many incredible things that Kenyans think an American President will do for them, I'd like you to settle down and think about this - is it really possible that America was just so upset with and tired of the Bush Administration, that they voted for "anybody but Bush" or as say, ABB? This election was not so much a mandate FOR Barack Obama as it was a negation of the continuation of the policies of the last 8 years. I would like to suggest that the media in the US has done such a tapdance on the reputation of Pres Bush that despite all the millions he has gotten for Africa, and the fact that he has kept Americans safe from terrorism for the past 8 years, the MEDIA hates him since they are all Liberals, started heavy propoganizing against the President over 2 years ago. You might be interested in knowing that there are many i the press who are now concerned over the election of President-elect Obama in a sort of "buyer's remorse" since they did so little investigative reporting and so much smarmy fawning of his persona, they now admit that they don't know who he is and that they never got a sense of the man while they travelled with him on the campaign trail for months and months!
Okay - that should raise some questions. In fact, he rarely if ever articulated in any of his speeches any of the details (and the Devil IS in the details) of his policies and goals during his campaigning. Don't you find that alarming? You may think you've found some of his future policies on his website but trust me - he started running to the middle when he realized that since he was so hard Left, he wasn't going to be able to attrack the moderates and the Independents, so who is he, really?
I'm afraid that Kenya and the rest of Africa, with the rest of the world and most especially with Americans are about to find out who he is - the hard way, by watching him in the Office. It may not be as difficult for you as it is for us since a few million here or there, can solve a lot of problems in Africa, but we are facing seriouse economic problems in America and throwing more money at it isn't like to produce any different results than the Billions already tossed in the direction of the Bank and investment firms. The money is in their hands, but they're not loaning it out, as was thought to be the solution, but holding onto it, to buy yet more Banks!! Isn't that special? They were given the money without strings, and "thought" that they would load the money, putting it back to work and instead they are going to use it to build up their assets by buying more Banks. Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury Paulson and the current President (we only have ONE at a time thank you) are about to find out that they are about to be screwed by the pigs who got the money and without guidelines and very strong restrictions, are going to do with the money anything they darn well please.
When President-elect Obama suggests that we "need another stimulus package", I suggest y'all look at what good the last one did and think if the American people are going to be thrilled at throwing anymore taxpayer monies at the pigs in the trough? No? I thought not.
Increased trade? More products being shipped to the US? Why? Perhaps more money for HIV/AIDS drugs, more money to feed those suffering from the disease, but the other hopes you have? I suggest you get in line behind the American taxpayer!
Thanks, but no thanks for your right wing, FOX News take on the President Elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
Sad, is it not, for you to see the unravelling of the Barry Goldwater 'conservative' movement that snaked through Reagan and finally CRASHED under Bush.
You talk about subsidies? You mUst have been living on planet Mars the last eight years.
The financing of the 'war' in Irag: a subsidy to Cheney and his buddies; the Wall Street Bail Out: welfare for 'conservative' backers at the casino in New York City. WANT MORE DEVIL DETAILS?
"The devil is in the details," you preach? Barack has proferred a tome of pragmatic details, and America is a nation of moderates: that is why Barack won.
If you are a neo-con, I respectfully suggest you huddle with neo-fascists of Leo Straussianism, and reconstitute a discourse that engages the people of America.
Attacking Baraka Obama, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ain't going to cut it.
Relax, dude, you had eight years to raid the American tax payers; it is OUR TIME to address the fiscal inequitites in the American economy, just AS Barack's election, BEGINS to address the legacy of American Racism, WHICH HAS BEEN DECLARED OLD SCHOOL BY YOUNG 'WHITE' AMEERICANS. Perhaps, you disagree? Then, let's have a debate.
Get it?
It is morning in America AGAIN, dude.
Obama Regards.
I've