01 septembre 2006
Obama in Kenya
You might have heard that Senator Bark Obama was recently in Kenya, as part of a bigger tour of Africa. But Kenya is special for Obama as it is the country of origin of his late father. Obama’s father left Kenya to attend university in Hawai, where he met Obama’s mother. He finally settled in the States where Barak was born and later attended Yale.
I already liked Barak Obama when I was in the States. His speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention was great – it completely outshined Kerry’s. It’s also worth mentioning that Obama is the first black US senator and that he was elected with 70% of the votes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up becoming the first black president of the United-States.
Here in Kenya he was welcomed as a hero, especially in his ancestral home of Kisumu. Obama’s trip only lasted a few days, but he managed to tackle all the issues that make Kenya today. He went to Kibera, met with people affected by AIDS, got tested himself, and went to Wajir to see the lasting effects of the drought. Several times over the course of his trip and above all in his closing speech at the university of Nairobi, he spoke out against corruption.
He explained to president Kibaki and in front of the cameras how the tv crew that was traveling with him had to pay a bribe to the customs officer to be able to get into the country with their equipment. Kibaki promised that the money would be returned.
Obama also spoke out against the tribal tensions that are still governing Kenyan politics. In the countryside, most people will vote for one candidate because he comes from their own tribe rather than because they agree with his program. Because President Kibaki is coming from Kenya’s largest tribe, the Kikuyus, he stands a big chance of being reelected, just like that.
Obama comes from the Luo tribe (second biggest one), and although he cannot hide it because of his name and his region of origin, he purposely didn’t bring it forward. When he visited his home region, he managed to keep the Luos within safe distance – which, judging by their reaction when their MP Raila Odinga makes a public appearance - is a difficult thing to do.
What I found impressive is how well Obama knew Kenya and Kenyan politics, especially for somebody who had only been here twice and for a few days. He had a very precise and well-informed view of the hopes and challenges of the country.
Many people here probably hope that somebody like Obama could have enough weight to influence positively the government. But in his speech at the university, Obama reminded young Kenyans that it was their responsibility to change things. Hopefully this speech would have inspired at least a few of them.
