8 November 2008
opinion
After Barack Obama's victory was confirmed in last week's presidential election, a journalist reported how an elderly African-American had asked him during the campaign: "Will they let him win?"
She was not being facetious. They had killed other African-Americans, who had tried to buck the system, Martin Luther King Jnr, for instance, had even tried to stand for election. All he had done was to challenge the status quo and to declare that the descendants of African salves would fight for their rights and would one day emerge from the dungeon, free of their chains, to reclaim their dignity and freedom.
At the time of writing, Obama was busy putting together an interim administration for the period until he is sworn in next January.
His victory had been so overwhelming, only the most bigoted white American would begrudge him the claim that most of the citizens of this vast country had endorsed his bid for the presidency.
He had run against a war hero, a veteran of the senate, a man whom, though not openly racist, had made speeches which sounded as if he thought it was absurd for a man like Obama to challenge him for the most powerful job in the world.
John McCain may have been gracious in defeat, but during the campaign, he sounded so full of contempt for Obama, that that alone may have turned many, particularly, the young, against him.
For us in Africa, Obama's victory is something to be savoured, something we can look at up close and personal, as they say. It's a triumph for the African spirit. It's no exaggeration to say Obama's victory has enabled us to reclaim our dignity.
Even for Zimbabweans, the slogan of change must resonate nationwide. We too can say, with gusto: "Yes, We can".
But Obama is an American. He is the 44th president of the USA, not the United States of Africa, which some African leaders have dreamed of in their moments of extreme megalomania.
Nelson Mandela set the tone when he congratulated Obama on his victory. In a sober, unemotional message, Madiba spoke of the fight against poverty, not only in the US, but throughout the world.
There has been much advancement in science and technology throughout the world. But every day around the world, millions die of hunger and disease.
Men and women can now go to the moon and spend days there. They can go to the farthest ends of the solar system, gaze wonderingly upon this puny earth -- and return to tell the tale.
Yet people are dying from diseases, not because there are no cures for them -- although in some instances this is the case -- but because their countries don't have the resources to obtain the drugs.
Food is not available in many parts of the world. In Zimbabwe, where the food shortages have become perennial, people are dying because of a combination of political stupidity and an incurable pride among leaders.
What made Obama attractive to the many people who voted for him was his slogan of change. The old ways, embraced by his opponent, the 72-year-old John McCain, had not worked for the country, the richest and most powerful in the world.
Wasn't it time for a change? They decided it was time.
The United States has a new president. He is an African-American, the first to hold that seat. Outside the USA, the post is much admired and much feared. But in reality, there are people who would rather be in business than in politics -- because there is more money in it.
So, the people who go into politics are often driven, not by the lure of undreamed of wealth, but an almost moral commitment, to make their mark on life in their country.
In the musical Carousel, there is a line which has always fascinated me: That would be alright too. His mother would like that, but he wouldn't be president, unless he wanted to be.
For most Africans, having a president in the USA who has an African heritage must be a cause for great pride. It cannot go further than this. His country has enormous problems which, unfortunately, have contaminated the rest of the world. Most of his time could be spent trying to solve the world's economic crisis.
Perhaps what the young people of Africa might learn from Obama's tenacity is the idea that no obstacles should be too big to inhibit you from achieving your goal.
What would attract others to your side would be a promise of striving to level the playing field for all people.
This is what is missing in Zimbabwe and most of Africa -- a fair chance for everybody.
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