African Thoughts on the US Election

Many Africans will be watching the upcoming US election, almost as closely as they watch their own, since American foreign policy obviously affects them directly. This year there's an added level of interest because Obama (favored by a majority of Africans) is half Kenyan. This not only means that Kenyans are crazy about the guy, but many Africans are hopeful that Obama will be more sensitive and responsive to issues that concern them, based on his multi-racial background as well as his political views.

On a recent trip to South Africa in May, the first question my taxi driver asked me about was what I thought of Obama's chances against Hillary Clinton. Visitors to Kenya are seeing Obama posters everywhere and a local brew called Senator Keg beer is now officially known as "Obama". Two cyclists who are making their way round Africa were not too surprised to spot a shrine to Obama on a little side street in Zanzibar.

An excellent Kenyan blogger, who runs a blog titled "What an African Woman Thinks", noted in a recent post, that the Sunday's Daily Nation devoted 17 of its 51 pages to Obama. Stories include a feature about "how Obama’s relatives have congregated in Nyangoma Kogelo village where they will remain until after Tuesday’s US presidential election and how they have set aside a bull to slaughter in celebration should he win". And as she says "From my observation perch thousands of miles away, I’ve become an expert on all the ups and downs and lefts and rights of this election. I can list for you, without hesitation, all the battleground states that will likely decide this election and what the latest polling stats are for each."

The African continent is comprised of 52 wildly different countries each with their own complicated political histories, and so opinions vary accordingly. Many Moroccans for example, naturally lean to Obama, (check out this Facebook page) since they are very much against the war in Iraq. However some local bloggers are siding with McCain because they feel Democrats support minorities and therefore the independence movement in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

In Liberia, independent film maker Lisa Russell interviewed many Liberian students and asked who they would vote for. "Some would vote for Barack Obama because of his African roots and therefore perceived understanding of the challenges facing the African continent. Some would vote for John McCain because of his experience with war and from their perspective as youth living amidst conflict, they believed a strong and experienced (male) politician was needed. Others wanted Hillary Clinton because they believed a woman would do a better job at helping the community, referencing the success of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in bringing peace to the country."

Rosemary Ekosso, a Cameroonian blogger put her hopes for an Obama victory this way -- "I do not think, to take an example that affects me directly, that he is going to come to Francophone Africa and send the French scuttling back to France so we can get rid of their puppets and (mis)manage our own affairs at last. I do not think of Obama as Richard Coeur de Lion or Uthman dan Fodio. He is our brother, yes, but brotherhood has its limits. I fear he would not last six days if he tried to do anything really useful for us."

Paul Zeleza, a Malawian University Professor in the US, echoes this note of caution regarding many African's high hopes for an Obama victory on his blog The Zeleza Post -- "For all the excitement generated by his candidacy, Obama is not a radical figure by any stretch of the political imagination. He is beholden more to capital than labor, to the elites than the poor, to neo-liberalism than social democracy, to American hegemony than global disarmament, to American supremacy than Pan-African solidarity."

Eight Egyptian bloggers are busy reporting on the US election from their perspective and it makes for some very interesting opinions. Check out this post -- Too Arab for some Americans, too Black for some Arabs.

South Africans are all too familiar with the issues of politics and race and they are watching the US elections with interest. A blog on MSNBC -- Black and White South African Weigh in on US Election offers several view points including this one; "Obama is black, so he will be better for Africa. All African countries will support him, even Mugabe," said Lucky, also a black South African who was referring to President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He paused to make his point clearer. "Mugabe hates white people because he thinks they are crooks and they want to steal his land. But with Obama maybe he will negotiate a settlement."

More on Africa and the US Elections
VOA: Africans Watch US Elections With Great Interest
Is the US a Friend or a Foe of Africa?"
Voices Without Votes
Africa: What Would Obama or McCain Do?

_{Image of Sarah Hussein Obama age 86, Senator Obama's Kenyan Grandmother -- Getty Images/Paula Bronstein}