[Stuff, New
Zealand]
Handelsblatt, Germany
Kenyans Appreciate
Barack Obama's 'Slap in the Face'
"Worried that the country
might be drifting toward civil war, many Kenyans appreciate seeing their
deeply-divided 'unity' government reprimanded by the one man who, by
virtue of his ancestry, already commands an unprecedented level of respect."
By Wolfgang Drechsler
Translated By Jonathan Lobsien
July 11, 2009
Handelsblatt
- Germany - Original Article (German)
Six months after his
inauguration, U.S. President Barack Obama is making a fleeting visit to the
continent of his own father, who was Kenyan. The visit to Ghana is primarily of
symbolic importance - little is expected to come from it politically. Not least
because Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, was very popular on the Black
continent.
CAPE TOWN: Upon his return
from the G8 Summit, Barack Obama is spending two days in the West African nation
of Ghana - the country that in 1957 was the first in sub-Saharan Africa to
become independent, and which is among the few anchors of stability on the
continent.
In Cape Coast - on the Gold
Coast - Barack and Michelle Obama are to tour one of the slave forts in which
thousands experienced their last moments on African soil before being shipped
to America by slave traders. Already, African bloggers are debating whether the
first Black U.S. President will shed tears for the victims of slavery, and whether
he'll comment on the related reparation lawsuits against the United States.
The choice of Ghana is
understood as an award to one of Africa’s most stabile democracies - with
peaceful transfers of power and without the “Big Man Syndrome,” under which so
many states on the continent suffer under long-term presidents who by any
means, seek to prevent getting voted out of office. In a statement by the White
House, Ghana was praised as “one of the most trustworthy partners” of the United
States in sub-Saharan Africa.
Indeed, Ghana has a vibrant
opposition and an attentive civil society. The elections Ghana held last year
were also the only truly free ones on the continent. Still, it surprises many
observers that the world’s second largest cocoa producer remains a model for African
states. Because when measured against world standards, Ghana, with a per-capita
income of just under $300, is still bitterly poor. Moreover, donor countries
still finance up to 40 percent of its national budget.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
President Barack Obama addresses Ghana's Parliament in
Accra, Ghana, July 11.
[CLICK HERE
OR CLICK PHOTO TO WATCH]
For Obama, the visit is primarily
of symbolic importance - politically, little is expected to come of it. According
to South African analyst Barney Mthombothi, one can hardly expect that
America’s policy toward Africa to be fundamentally altered under the first Black
President. This is true not least because his predecessor, George W. Bush, was
markedly popular in vast parts of Africa, because he starkly increased
development aid for the Black continent.
In Obama's government,
however, there are many advocates of a hard line against unjust African regimes
like Sudan. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has in the past repeatedly called for
military action against Sudan's Bashir regime, in the event that the promised
end to murder in the western province of Darfur doesn't cease. Even Susan Rice,
the new U.N.-ambassador, has argued for the possible application of force.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Ghanaian Web, Ghana:
Mr. Obama: It's Time for America to Give Back to Africa
La Stampa, Italy:
'Historic Handshake' for Ghaddafi and 'Obama the African'
My Joy, Ghana:
In Ghana, Obama 'Will Cry' for Africa
The Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana:
Ghana Should 'Cash In' on Obama's Visit
The Ghanaian Times:
'Why Obama Snubbed Nigeria'
The Daily Sun, Nigeria:
The 'Stoning' of President Barack Hussein Obama
This Day, Nigeria:
Obama's Choice to Visit Ghana and Not Nigeria Should Be a Lesson to Us
Boobab, Nigeria:
If Obama
Comes to Nigeria, 'I Will Stone Him'
An important sign of Obama's policy
toward Africa has already been sent, in that his first trip there led him not
to Kenyan home of his father - but to Ghana. Among the Kenyan population, this
diplomatic slap in the face has been met with great gratification. In the
country’s media, Obama has been emphatically congratulated for the move. Worried
that the country might be drifting toward civil war, many Kenyans appreciate seeing
their deeply-divided "unity" government reprimanded by the one man
who in Africa, by virtue of his ancestry, already commands an unprecedented level
of respect.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Economically, Obama’s trip to
Africa comes at a bad time: the hope that the continent would be spared the
financial crisis has proved a capital fallacy. A report by the group Southern African Resource Watch shows in
detail the devastating impact of the crisis on Africa’s important mining
sector. As a result, in this industry alone, two thirds of all jobs in the Congo
have disappeared this year.
CLICK
HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US July 13, 05:58pm]
