Africans Have Their Say

Ok, this is my last post about all things Obama related, I PROMISE!

One of the things I love about this inauguration is all the enthusiasm coming out of Africa, especially Kenya, for this new president. BBC News has a wonderful section called 'Have Your Say' where Africans from all over the continent and world get to through out their thoughts about the new American president. Here is a little snippet:

We are so hopeful oh Obama. We as Zimbabweans we had a hope on Bush kicking Mugabe but he failed us. This time we hope Obama will come to the rescue of the Zimbabwean people because Mugabe has caused unnecessary suffering to ordinary people . Go Obama ,Go Obama..

President Obama has already done the most important thing he could for Africa. To the people, he has given hope that their efforts to develop will now be supported by the international community with America leading the way. To African leaders, he provides an example worth emulating, and a vision which calls on each of them to adopt a humanist philosophy at the core of their leadership agendas. It is the only way Africa can reverse the effects of the past and change its development trajectory.

Africans takes some notes and do what you do best learn other peoples theories and systems, and only hope that maybe obama will sort your problems. Obama said god bless America not Africa. why can we not have our own obamas, our own theories and systems that work ?i hate to be African others are celebrating we are still fighting its a curse to be African

I celebrate Obama. My message to him is not to give us, in Africa, fish but to give us the opportunity to fish in the vast waters of the global economy.

Obama is the president of the USA (which is a good thing) - not Africa. Sometimes i wonder why we Africans can't do anything about our own problems. Africa's hopes are in her hands not in Obama's - besides he'll focus on the problem the USA is facing at hand, which every African leader & politician worth their votes (or however they got their mandate) should be doing right now for their own country. leave Obama alone - let him do his job. i.e. being the president & hope of the USA!

There are tons of these that you can breeze each reflecting the diversity of feelings about this new president although I must say that many echo the last comment above, mainly that Obama is not the savior of Africa.

This is something that I've thought about several times during this whole election/inauguration process. Will any African nation ever reach the point where political institutions are sound enough and people trusting of each other enough to democratically put the best candidate into office despite his race, background or any other identifier? There appear to be so many hurdles in the way of some African countries (especially political corruption) that I don't know how they can clear them all. I guess the point is to have hope and never stop trying. Maybe that's the only thing any person can take from this whole thing.