I sat in my hotel room in Addis Ababa as history was being made. Barack Obama was becoming the first Black US President. As I toasted to the new era in world politics, in came a call from my very good friend Robert Okech.

His first words were, "Yes We Can". And he added; "that McCain man must apologize to all the Luo for the anxiety he has caused us".

When I checked my e-mail I found what Robert Okech had penned. Read on:

After just four years of political exposure at national level, Barack Obama finds himself top of the pile perched on the world's top political seat, President of the United States of America.

Barack Obama will take oath in January, 2008 etching his name firmly in history as the first Black African American Luo president of the US.

He has scythed through the racial barrier and shoved aside stereotypes, doubts and scepticism and against all odds won the ultimate prize.

Some misled 'elitists' have tried to dilute his success as irrelevant to Africa and just another change of guards. While this may be true, there should be no doubt about the significance and weight of this moment in history, global history.

This date marks a full turnaround of a people enslaved, tortured, tormented, raped, trampled on and sold like cheap trinkets for silver and brass. Even when the black people emerged from slavery they remained second [or worse] class citizens, segregated, hunted, abused and despised.

Relegated to the backwaters of opportunity, a black man was a non-starter in any race for supremacy and the frustration was channelled into the equal opportunity business of drugs, prostitution and other crime. Academic pursuit was looked upon as a waste of time and school going as the toil of fools.

Barack Obama has lived through a nomadic childhood from Hawaii to Indonesia and back to Hawaii, through to Harvard and on to Chicago. He triumphed over his juvenile shortcomings and composed himself into a student leader before winding his way to the office of the Distinguished Gentleman from Illinois, Senator.

When he gave the keynote address at the Democrats convention of 2004, a bright light of hope shone on America and for the black man a new leader got his calling.

He has conquered the conservativeness embodied by the Clintons in the Democrats camp before taking on the establishment that is the Republican Party.

Against a background of doubt he out fundraised, out campaigned, out impressed and cut across race and party lines. He brought the youth back to the ballot box and gave them a chance to be part of their country's decision making.

Technology was used to the hilt and a campaign task force never seen or fathomed before swept across the hitherto Republican strongholds of Pennsylvania, Ohio , Virginia, Florida , Colorado and Indiana rallying the nation to a message of hope, change and an irresistible challenge to be a part of history .

While past black civil rights figures like Rosa Parks, Luther King, and Booker T. stood for the grief, pain and suffering of the black man, Obama stands for the future of the black man and the hope he gives the minority race is laced with achievement and success.

As a role model, hopefully the black youth can now see that success even at the highest level can be achieved by skill, organization and sacrifice rather than gangbanging and the lure of a criminal life. If only one kid is inspired by Barack and succeeds in life, that will do for me. Maybe even Hollywood will re-cast the stereotypical, all brawn no brain, low IQ, comical or second fiddle roles the black actors have to endure.

Even then it took the better part of a century for Hollywood to acknowledge the performance of a black man and woman in a leading role. Sidney Poitier (1963), Denzel Washington (2001), Halle Berry (2002).

In an almost sadistic, psychotic way I found a deep, dark pleasure from McCain's concession speech that left me with a tickling sense of 'who's laughing now?'

Obama's victory speech was rich and moving and left no dry eye at Grant Park in Chicago.

I stand in the firm faith that these are the kind of people that change the world, positively and definitively!

I expect nothing from him or his government to my person, this moment of triumph is all I have yearned for. I also believe that with the Democrats in charge of Congress, Senate and the White House, he has a unique opportunity to deliver on the more significant promises he has made to his country people. I wish him well and hope he will leave a hugely successful footprint that will make it easier for America to accept the next black president on merit and issues rather than the colour of his or her skin.

To all of you, lovers or haters, apathetic or distant, this young black man's triumph against all and huge odds should inspire us to believe that with skill, effort and organization we can achieve beyond our wildest dreams and change lives and history forever!

If we doubted before, after Obama's victory we must all now believe that we can triumph against all odds.

YES WE CAN!

Dismas Nkunda, The author is a human rights expert and specialist on refugee issues