"I have a dream" @ 50

Source:Hulton Archive/Getty Images via The Guardian Newspaper online

Today marks 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King jr.'s famous address at the end of the historic civil rights march on Washington DC for "Jobs and Freedom." From my facebook timeline I gather that quite a few of my friends in the area have gathered in Washington D.C. today to mark this historical event. 

This morning I read over the profound words of the original address. It was delivered to a racially-segregated and charged America of 1963. The speech starts with references to the emancipation of slaves in 1863 and how “One hundred years later [in 1963], the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”

This got me thinking, 50 years on how much has changed? It seems cynical to say nothing has changed but almost naive to say things in America have changed so drastically that Dr. King's words are so alien to the world today. To some extent, Dr. King's dream is fulfilled but yet racial and socioeconomic disparities are still glaring. I remember a decade ago, a friend and I went on a road trip from Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama. What we were struck by was stark poverty in rural Alabama that makes me more inclined towards being cynical about what has changed. However, that was also a road trip a decade ago. 

This afternoon I had the great opportunity to listen to a different speech. This time it was a lecture by United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. He made references to the Dr. King's speech and in a world ridden in conflict, he called for everyone to "Give peace a chance, give diplomacy a chance." Although not necessarily ground-breaking, the lecture echoed the importance of peace, freedom, democracy, compassion for humankind regardless of race, nationality, creed or sexual orientation. Powerful things to reflect on.

Mr. Ban Ki-Moon delivering the Freedom Lecture at the Pieterskerk in Leiden

Just a little bit of apathy...

A quick trip down memory lane on my own blog took me to a post from 31 October 2008. Like many across the globe, I was eagerly awaiting the inevitable; an Obama presidency.  At the time, it seemed Obama was almost certainly destined for the White House and even the right-leaning respected British weekly The Economist magazine wholeheartedly endorsed Obama. The world was excited by the endless possibilities that this change was about to bring.

Four years later, the picture is quite different. For President Obama, it has been a long, winding and very bumpy road. He has waged a battle to put the US economy on the road to recovery. He has also managed to push through his vision of health-care reform despite loud criticism. In addition, he has had to contend with seemingly deluded individuals who firmly believe he was not born in the US. Equally disturbing are those convinced that the writing is all over the wall to indicate that President Obama is a secret muslim. Unfortunately, President Obama has also continued to be entangled in foreign wars started by his predecessor. 

Perhaps expectations were just a little too high and maybe some promises have been broken or even revised but the contrast between now and 2008 is striking. Four years ago, my Facebook timeline was literally bombarded and filled with enthusiastic pro-Obama messages. To be fair, Hurricane Sandy has been responsible for muting some of the usual US Election fever pitch coming from my eastern seaboard friends but apathy is still very much undeniably in the air. After all, Obama finds himself neck and neck with the King of Countless Recent Gaffes. Speaking of Governor Mitt Romney, I was particularly saddened to see the latest cover of The Economist four years on. What was even more disconcerting was the note accompanying their "American endorsement" on their Tumblr page:

The Economist: "Our American endorsement: America could do better than Barack Obama; sadly, Mitt Romney does not fit the bill."

The reality is that the outcome of the US election would have very little bearing on my life personally. In fact, this year marks a whole decade since I left the US somewhat permanently. Despite this, I do hope President Obama wins a second term. His energy and dedication to the mandate he has been given still inspires hope for me. He gets my endorsement. My completely meaningless stamp of approval. 

Ghanapolitics 101: Deja Vu moments and being Too Close to Call

In the Beacon of Democracy, the incumbent and main contender are in an outright fight to the death. A show of hands please for the number of people in the class who thought I was talking about Ghana? Wrong you were. In fact, since 2000, the parallels between the Ghanaian elections and the US elections are a tad eerie. 

Speaking of the US, where terms like Romnesia are new entrants into the political lexicon, a new Gallup poll is describing the upcoming election as "too close to call" .Very reminiscent of the (in)famous US Election 2000. 

Meanwhile, over in the Beacon of African Democracy, Ghana, current events are rapidly evolving the political landscape which are also making election outcomes hard to predict. With just under 50 days to go until poll day, some rules that have applied in recent elections are now being defied /thrown out the window as the soap opera qualities of Ghanaian politics are becoming more apparent.  

Despite the unexpected twists and turns, Ghana Election 2012 is beginning to have a strange deja vu quality reminiscent of Ghana Election 2008 where things were also too close to call:

BBC Focus on Africa magazine cover: 2008

Interestingly, JoyFM's online poll of the moment appears to suggest otherwise. 

Polls on JOY [FM]: "If elections were held today, who would you vote for?"

Fascinatingly, 105,375 people voted in this poll. This is more than any other poll featured on Joy FM's website which usually attracts around 5,000 voters at the most. So where are all these voters coming from in a poll that opened on 11 October 2012?

According to the poll results, 45.14% of voters would vote for the incumbent party the NDC. The poll also predicts that 37.75% of the 105,375 would vote for the newly emergent party the PPP. In 3rd place is the party that is perceived/believed to be the main contender to the incumbent, the NPP commanding 16.71% of the vote. So how credible is this JoyFM poll? Are the PPP being seriously underestimated?

Or is it just a simple case of clear-browsing-history-vote again? So I did try just that to find out. I cleared my browsing history and could in fact vote again.....three times.

The moral of the story is that its important to take polls, predictions and prophesies regarding Ghana election 2012 with a pinch of salt. 

My money is still on the election being way too close to call. What are your thoughts?

Political Animals

Not sure if it is the stellar cast, riveting storyline or the politicking angle that made the US television series Political Animals so enjoyable for me. Unlike many who proudly declare that they "hate politics" or "don't do politics", I'd be the first to admit I really enjoy politics as practiced under democratic dispensations anywhere in the world. The jostling for power, shady deals, the compromises, broken promises, the neverending scandals, the manipulative nature of good politicians and of course the collective amnesia exhibited by electorates everywhere.

I am not sure if what makes Political Animals so good is the way it blurs the line between fact and fiction. By the way, is there some literary device for basing fictional characters and events so closely to real people and events but cleverly making slight deviations? 

See for example, the plot synopsis for Political Animals on IMDB:

"A divorced, former First Lady, is currently serving as the Secretary of State. She deals with State Department issues, while trying to keep her family together"

I should also add that this former first lady was married to an affable fictional President of the US in office in a fictional 1990s when he lied about an affair. This former President has a strong Southern accent and perchance for cigars.

Anyway, like me, some loved Political Animals:

" 'Political Animals' Review: Sigourney Weaver Owns This Delish Washington Soap"

- Maureen Ryan, Huffington Post 

 

Perhaps 'Soap' is the operative word since some were not so in awe:

"What was sold as "The West Wing" comes out looking a lot more like "Dallas." Not necessarily a bad thing, if you can lower your expectations" - 

Timothy Goodman,The Hollywood Reporter

Speaking of Dallas, I'm still reeling from the fact that its back after a 21 year hiatus. The theme song should be on the soundtrack of my life. Well, probably not as prominently featured as the themes for other fine soaps such as Santa Barbara, Bold and Beautiful, The Young and the Restless and of course Days of Our Lives. One day I will blog about how the Young and the Restless was broadcast on South African TV for years dubbed in Afrikaans during the dark days of apartheid. One day somewhere in 1990, around the time apartheid was collapsing all around, we turned on the TV to find the Young and the Restless was inexplicably in English. I kid you not. Alas I digress.

As a kid I cramped my big sister's style when she tried to secretly trying to watch Dallas and Dynasty after our bed time by plugging earphones into the TV.  I must admit that despite pestering her to explain what was going on, I understood absolutely nothing about the 'complex' Dallas storylines.

Main Dallas cast then:

Source: imdb.com

Main Dallas cast now (it really does still revolve around JR):

Source: tnt.com

But isn't real-life politics like a soap opera anyway? Aren't they all about money, power and respect and much more? Anyway, the bottom-line for me is that Political Animals is worth a watch. Oh and so is Dallas.....I'm sure.

He's the Gaffe-r!: Pat Robertson and his 'Pact with the Devil'

Once a upon a time in the Kingdom of Swaziland, the folks in charge of programming at the state television station decided that controversial televangelist Jimmy Swaggart on Sundays was not sufficient for the spiritual nourishment of the people. 

 Jimmy Swaggart in one of his trademark weepy moments. This may have been the one he admitted to frequenting a commercial sex worker. That was one episode I missed! 
Source: bbc.co.uk

So somewhere in the mid-80s, Swazi TV added a daily early evening offering of the religious programme The 700 Club. Children like me were shattered since we would have preferred more Transformers, GI Joe or Care Bears but instead got televangelist Pat Robertson sitting on a couch talking about things we did not quite understand. He seemed pious, sincere and very spiritual.  (Above) Pat Robertson and his 700 Club panelists. Source: http://www.payer.de

More than 20 years later, the same Pat Robertson has resurfaced on my radar. This is because, from the comfort of his Christian Broadcasting  Network base in Virgina, he has offered some 'helpful' observations regarding the real reason behind the recent earthquake in Haiti. Unlike what many of us may have thought, it had nothing to do with nature but is all to do with the Haitian revolution that started in 1791 and saw the establishment of the first black republic.

 Depiction of Haitian Revolution
Source: Wikipedia

Mr. Robertson's comments are reproduced in a Reuters blog as follows:

“...They were under the heel of the French … and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’ True story,” Robertson said in a matter-of-fact tone on the broadcast.
“And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal. .. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another,” he said.

This statement led many on Twitter and Facebook to conclude that either Pat Robertson is:

• Battling senility
• Smoking *very hard* narcotics or 
  
• Was there when this pact was made
  

At first I thought it was all a joke but fortunately the broadcast is on YouTube. Is Mr Robertson...

• suggesting that slaves rebelling against slave-owners  was morally wrong?
• saying all Haitians and generations to come are cursed?
  
•  reinforcing the old notion popular among racist bigots that black people are cursed?

Pat Robertson
Source: Sikh Times Online

Interestingly, Pat Robertson is no stranger to  nonsensical statements. Time Magazine online has a wonderful piece on the Top 10 Pat Robertson Gaffes. "Top 10"  suggests there are many more gems out there. All I can say is thank goodness us kids did not understand what Mr. Robertson was saying back in the '80s.

Nov. 4th 2008, One year later: The Beautiful Dream becomes Stark Reality

President Obama in the Oval Office
Source: White House Museum Online

November 4th, 2008: The Beautiful Dream

The US Democratic Party Candidate Senator Barack Obama achieved one of the most amazing feats in history. He won the US Presidential race becoming the first African-American President of the United States.

It is hard to believe that that was actually one year ago.

November 4th, 2009: The Stark Reality

President Obama is now firmly at the helm of affairs yet he is facing many obstacles in his way:

• Dealing with the grave impact of the sub-prime mortgage crisis on the US economy
  
• A health-care reform bill for universal health coverage that has been far from being universally accepted
• Tough decisions to make concerning American troop numbers in Afghanistan
• The War in Iraq and looming questions
  
• Two gubernatorial races in the states of Virginia and New Jersey have just been won by the opposition Republicans

Beautiful dreams may have given way to harsh realities but the chapter has not ended. Despite skepticism and cynicism, I still believe that President Obama will pull through and live up to many expectations.

Obama for Peace...Prize!

This past Friday, Twitter, Facebook, Google and the blogosphere were all abuzz with one item on everyone's (*erm*) keyboard. Everybody had an opinion on the 44th President of the United States getting this year's coveted Nobel Peace Prize.
Just to think a year ago, President Obama was Senator Obama; one term State Senator from Illinois criss-crossing America on the campaign trail with his infectious "Yes we can!" message. A year later, not only is Barack Obama a president, he is also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Indeed, Yes HE can!

Even ardent fans of Obama like myself were taken aback by the noble Nobel Committee's announcement. Later it became apparent to me that the prize is for work to be done to promote peace rather than work done. This puts immense pressure on President Obama. The critics are everywhere. Already Obama has come face-to-face with fiery opposition to his Health Care reform bill from opposition Republicans who have accused him of everything from being a liar to (shock-horror) a communist. Even the same people on the left who helped propel him to his current position are expressing dissatisfaction. Have you heard of the Obameter at PolitiFact.com? Basically, the good people at PolitiFact.com have compiled more than 500 promises that President Obama made during his campaign and are tracking their progress on their Obameter.

They rate each promise's status as: No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once they find action is completed, they rate them as Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.

So far things are not looking too good on President Obama's scorecard. Imagine we had something similar in Ghana. I would hate to see President's Mill's report card right about now!

Poor President Obama. He may have wanted to take a backseat when it came to world politics and focus more on internal domestic issues. Now this seems impossible especially with the Nobel Prize looming over his head. For me it has now became clear as day, Obama is basically the superhero that we have all being waiting for to save the world! Move over Superman, here comes Obama-man:

• Got problems in the Middle East? Here Obama-man comes to save the day!
• Conflict in Darfur? Obama-man to the rescue
  
• Nagging issues with juntas in Burma? Obama-man is on the job..
• North Korea still testing those pesky missiles? It's a bird; it's a plane; No, Its Obama-man.
  

I admire President Obama right this minute. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Literally.

President Obama the Superhero
Source: Flickr

Senator Edward Kennedy: The Sad Passing of a Political Don

Source: The Boston Globe 26 August 2009

Two Women of the Moment: Hillary and Aung San Suu Kyi

CNN International's early morning show today had the spotlight on two dynamic and very different women in their 60s. One piece of news left me sad while the other left me quite amused.

News that Saddened: The Case of Aung San Suu Kyi
The 64 year old Burmese pro-democracy leader, Ms. Suu Kyi has been found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American who swam to her lakeside house to stay for 2 days. She received 3 years hard labour but was given a suspended sentence of 18 months house arrest. House arrest again? I'm beginning to believe conspiracy theories that the Burmese authorities may have allowed the American to undertake his mission because it provided the opportunity to keep Ms. Suu Kyi under house arrest since her previous sentence was just about to expire. The situation has finally become completely absurd. When is enough, enough? When will world leaders start putting real pressure on the Burmese junta for change?



News that Amused: Secretary of State (Mrs.) Hilary Clinton loses her cool

Source: Reuters. Mrs. Clinton in Kinshasa

There is someone I feel sorry for in the Democratic Republic of Congo today. That person is a student who posed a question for the US secretary of State (Mrs.) Hilary Clinton that was clearly 'Lost in Translation' from French to English . The student was (apparently) asking what President Obama's opinion was on Chinese trade interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The question came out as: "what does your husband think of Chinese trade interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo".
Mrs. Clinton was clearly riled up by the question and retorted: “My husband is not the Secretary of State, I am.” Although it was amusing to watch, one cannot blame Mrs. Clinton for getting a little hot under the collar. She is trying to do her job in her own right but is somehow still a little overshadowed by her famous husband. Of course, sensational reports of former President Clinton's recent mission to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists hardly helped his wife situation. Apparently she was bombarded with questions about the mission when she arrived in Kenya. Additionally, Mrs. Clinton probably thought she detected some of the famed subjugation of women associated with the African continent when she heard the question. I still can't understand how "husband" and "President" could be mixed up in French?? Oh well!

So here's a thought: how about President Obama sending Mrs. Clinton to Burma to see what can be done about Ms. Suu Kyi? Now that would really be killing two birds with one stone; Ms. Suu Kyi potentially free and Mrs. Clinton really stepping out into the light in her own right. Plus it would make for a great Sister-2-Sister moment.

Reflections from the Obama Ghana Visit as seen on TV: He came, He saw, He Conquered... all in under 24 hours

An amazing thing happened the night the Obamas were due to arrive in Accra. It stopped raining for the first time in weeks and aside from brief early dawn rain on Saturday morning, we have been bathed in sunshine ever since! I call that Obama Magic. But lets get back to that Friday night. A few hours before Airforce One touched down, Accra was all kerfuffle. Cars were hurriedly making their way home like we had all been tele-ported back to the days of military curfews. I foolishly ignored warnings from family to leave work early and came face-to-face with monster traffic on my route home. Once I finally arrived home, I got excited text messages from my college friend M who works in Liberia (incidentally, like Obama, she has a Kenyan father and an American mother)


M: "Are you guys lining the streets to welcome Obama?"
Me: "No, we are all home. We were told the roads leading to the airport were blocked"

M was disappointed but could understand why the vast majority of Ghanaians were watching Obama beamed into their living rooms like the rest of the world. She still wants a souvenir she saw on CNN: President Obama next to a Kenyan flag and an American flag. Anyone know where I can find one?

Anyway, around 9pm, Airforce One finally touched down and the Obama family emerged full of smiles and warmth instantly charming all of us including our government ministers waiting at the airport. Clearly touched by Obama-Magic, the ministers could hardly contain their excitement; they took pictures and gushed. President Mills and his wife were full of grace and the whole ceremony was extremely brief but beautiful. I hear President Obama even tried his hand at some Ghanaian traditional dance.

The next morning I pondered over the possibilities of heading into town to either loiter somewhere around the Osu cemetery near the Accra International Conference Centre where the much-anticipated "Africa Address" would be held. *Alas* here's the thing:
I could've have loitered around but would completely miss the speech and possibly miss even a glimpse of Obama! In the end I found myself transfixed by the TV instead.

There was the breakfast meeting at the seat of government (Christianborg Castle). The sound of Angelique Kidjos's Akwaaba ("welcome" in the Akan language") was played as quite an apt soundtrack on one station. After a ceremony that involved national anthems and a super-quick inspection of the guard, the camera panned to a jammed packed area where the Who's who of Ghanaian political elite and society had gathered. There were the 2 former presidents, political party leaders, ministers, the Archbishop of the Catholic diocese of Accra and various other religious leaders. After President Obama's meet-and-greet , they sat down for breakfast and alas, transmission ended. I secretly hoped we would see what was on offer for breakfast .

I must have missed the visit of the Obamas to the La General Hospital because the next time I saw President Obama was when he was addressing the august House of Parliament.

What a rousing speech he gave! I will leave the analysis of the content to others .He spoke to all Africans; he addressed the youth, touched on issues of corruption, autocratic regimes and the need for the rule of law and democratic principles to prevail. The whole time I heard an underlying emphasis on "Africans can and should be self-sufficient"

One interesting remark he made was a reference to the young Ghanaian investigative journalist, the intrepidly daring Anas Ameyaw Anas He also mentioned Ms. Patience Quaye, a deputy police superintendent who has able to prevent a case of human trafficking.

After the beautiful CAN DO address, there was yet another meet and greet session with our parliamentarians. This time, we got to witness the effect of Obama-Magic on the opposition minority parliamentarians as they also excitedly shook hands with the Man of the hour. Majority parliamentarians were not left out either. Neither were Ex-president Mr. JA Kufuor or Ex-President Flight Lieutenant (RTD) Mr. Jerry John Rawlings who seems to also have a perchance for photography.
The next time we caught up Obama magic was in the Central Region of Ghana. The chiefs and people of Oguaa (known since colonial times as Cape Coast) were making their way to a meeting ground in golden splendor. A sizable crowd had also gathered in front of the Cape Coast Castle (a former slave fort and the point of no return for millions of Africans who were trafficked to the Americas and Caribbean in bondage).

At this point I realised that if I really wanted to see President Obama in the flesh, I could have camped out in Cape Coast with thousands of others.
The Obama family arrived by chopper for the tour of Castle and appeared to be in the company of Mrs Obama's mother (??)They were shown the castle by a tour guide as well as Honourable Fritz Baffour, a newly elected parliamentarian, former director of Ghana's National Museums and part-time actor. After leaving the Castle, President Obama gave a touching speech on the impact of the visit and then he disappeared! The TV commentator did not seem sure where the President and his family were. There was a rumour that Mrs. Obama was being enstooled as a Queen-mother but this was never confirmed. I saw on CNN this morning that it appears that Anderson Cooper was probably interviewing him in the castle during the time he disappeared from our screens. Anderson Cooper?! I love him! I did not even know he was in Ghana!

President Obama re-emerged and after pausing to tie his shoe-lace and a few waves they headed off to Accra. According to one newspaper President Obama ate kenkey (fermented maize/corn) while he was here. Quite an interesting choice for a Ghanaian dish. Although it is one of my favorites, I was once told by a British class-mate in grad school that he had tasted the most "God-awful rancid dish ever" while in Ghana - Alas it was kenkey! Never spoke to the guy again but I do wonder what Obama's feelings are about kenkey!

After Cape Coast, my eyes left the TV and I finally went off to do other things. The last time I caught President Obama was in a final rousing address outside Airforce One on the tarmac at the airport. The crowd seemed to be made up of mostly Americans. He and Mrs. Obama bid farewell, climbed the stairs of the plane hand in hand, turned around and gave us a lovely unforgettable final wave. *Sigh*

Well, President Obama has come and gone and we return to the humdrum of life in Accra. The Electricity Company of Ghana jolted us back to reality on Sunday by inexplicably shutting off our electricity from 8am to 6pm. Ain't that Africa for you and me.

Today's Daily Graphic: Fame has clearly gotten to our heads!

Obama's Visit: A View from Ghana

As night falls over Accra, President Obama and his family will land at Kotoka International Airport. I'm sure Ghanaians are praying for divine intervention (spear-headed by Pastor TB Joshua) to deal with this rain; it still has not stopped! I still think there is very little information for the general public as to where we are allowed to go. Can we line the streets outside the airport and wait for the Obama entourage to pass. If all the streets are cordoned off and cleared of people, won't Accra look like an inhabited ghost town to our visitors? Where can we get a glimpse of the man besides TV, La Polyclinic or Cape Coast? It is all still a mystery to me. Anyway, one of the best takes I have read on the impending visit is a piece by Ms. Elizabeth Ohene, a former minister in the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and a former BBC journalist. Her article was featured on the BBC over the past weekend and is available on their web page. It is a witty, humorous and sardonic view of the impending Obama visit that encapsulates everything from envy from other African countries, Ghanaian euphoria and also Ghanaian partisan politics. What I found particularly informative were the comments made and the reactions to the piece from across Africa and the world. I hope the BBC will forgive me for blatantly lifting a few of these from their web-page.

DISCLAIMER: BBC, please do not take me to court over this. I live by the Beeb and have done for most of my life. I first started listening to the BBC with my Dad when I was 7 years old ...way back in the day when (the late) Mr. Chris Bickerton hosted Focus on Africa.

Anyway, here are *interesting* views from the BBC web page in reaction to Ms. Ohene's piece:

My Ghanaian friend, I am a Nigerian and don't envy Ghana even if President Obama and his disciples visit your country everyday. President Obama is just another American president looking after American interests. In this case, it is your newly acquired oil shores. Your comments justifies my views about Ghanaians. Let me add that Ghana is the same size as Lagos Nigeria if not smaller. Good luck with your thriving democracy and good governance. I am happy that you are basking on something that is already in Africa.
Simms, Umuahia, Nigeria

Obama's visit to Ghana is NOT in any way Humiliation to Nigeria or any other africa nations.....OBAMA is Not JESUS CHRIST simply a president who chosed and decided to visit Ghana and may decide to Visit Nigeria some day. He can not visit all Africa nations same day same moment, Ghana is down to inferiority complex that makes them to see themselves as Brazil of Africa When Nigeria had beaten the real Brazil in a major football competition.
marcel eze, abidjan

Aw pulezzzz!!! Whether Obama comes or not, Nigeria is still the giant of Africa. It is okay for Obama to encourage Ghana's democracy. In spite of our current woes we still have a profound influence across Africa. Imagine what happens when we work through our problems....the whole world will come to our door steps.
Ono Vu, Abuja-Nigeria

Yikes, a serious case of very sour grapes methinks! Anyway, I would recommend reading Ms. Ohene's article and all the comments lest I present my own slant on this.

Obama day has started out bright. I drove into work this morning with the sun in my heart and rain on my windscreen listening to the BBC. Our very own Ghanaian BBC journalist Komla Dumor was live from Accra with a very poignant piece about the impending visit. He made a heartfelt trip to Cape Coast Castle and the slave dungeons which has had me reflecting on the impact of the upcoming Cape Coast visit for Michelle Obama in particular. Mr. Dumor also touched on some stark realities surrounding the new Obama administration vis-a-vis Africa. There have been some unfulfilled campaign promises and real questions about more trade and less aid. My fellow blogger Pen Powder's posting this morning also encapsulates the real questions about economic partnerships to improve Africa after stripping away all the Obama-mania and hype.

Not all Ghanaians are gushing with joy about the visit. Just this morning on Kwaku Sakyi-Addo's Joy FM programme some people were asking about whether President Obama will apologise to the Ghanaian people for the (purported) US role in the over-throw of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1966. Interesting question..somewhat logical but completely ludicrous at the same time! Anyway, have to get to work so I can go and bask in the Obama-Ghana glory later!

Aint that America...

I will not deny that unlike some people, I love America. After a 3 year hiatus it is actually good to be back in the land of the free. It is great to watch weird, voyeuristic reality tv and my new favorite is the absolutely tacky but interesting Real Housewives of Orange County (see picture above). Alas, due to the credit crunch, there are fewer ads on TV for free credit cards and car loans. Some things still remain the same on American TV, Fox News is still skewering all liberals (poor President Obama) while CNN and MSNBC are still flying the left of center media beacon. One other thing I love about America is that customer service is amazing and strangers will strike up a conversation with you on the bus and share their life-story. Usually in Ghana when a stranger strikes up a conversation with me it is a barrage of one-sided questions to satisfy their curiosity about the oddity that is me. In Europe I find most people keep to themselves. America on the other hand is bursting with smiles and friendliness. I must admit, my beloved New York is not quite Friendliness Central especially on first encounter but it still has an undeniable vibe to it.

As I type, I'm in a surreal Norwegian-style ski resort called Granlibakken on Lake Tahoe. Apparently Lake Tahoe is on the border between California and Nevada. The altitude is high, my knuckles are frozen and I'm suffering from jetlag even after 4 days or so away from Ghana. Maybe it is because this is my first visit to the West Coast and so the time difference is killing me. It is 9:30am here but in Ghana it is time to get off work for most people already.

Despite being severely over-fed with delicious culinary delights, the hardest part about this trip is that I'm not here on holiday. I'm attending a high-brow conference all about worm infections. It is a privilege to mingle with people you have only read about but it is excruciatingly difficult to stay awake for some of the evening sessions. Last night, the words used by the speaker in the last presentation were all in English but strung together in sentences, they sounded like Greek to me. Fortunately, I was not the only one who heard the Greek. My fellow jet-lag crew felt the same way!

1200 EST (1700 GMT) on January 20th 2009

Farewell to the man who brought us the 'War on Terror' while defying (defiling?) the English language

After 8 years at the helm of America and the 'free-world', George W. Bush is finally bowing out tomorrow. The world has changed alot over the 8 years "Dubya" has been in charge and he will forever be remembered for:

• The War on Terror
• Coining the expression "Axis of Evil"
  
• The elusive "Weapons of mass destruction"
  
• The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
  

From an African perspective, apparently we are grateful to Mr. Bush for:

• More funding to Africa than ever before
• The scaling up of funding for anti-retrovials to HIV/AIDS patients on the continent
  
• Funding for anti-malarial initiatives such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs)

One reason I am personally grateful to Mr. Bush is for providing us with befuddling expressions that at times defied logic. Ah yes, the now infamous "Bushisms" that were sure to put a smile on your face as you struggled to decipher what he was trying to say. With the help of About.com, I present to you, my Top 5 favorite Bushisms.

Mr. George W. Bush said:

• "We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." —Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001

• "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

• "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family" N.H. Chamber of Commerce. January 27, 2000

• "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

• "They misunderestimated me." Nov. 6 2000
  

Alas, just a few in a vast collection of expressions by Mr. Bush. Mmmm, I wonder.....maybe Mr. Bush agreed to increase funding to "Africa" because he thought he was funding just one nation and not a whole continent!

For the good and for the bad, we will always remember Mr. George W. Bush!!!

It's time: Obama on the home stretch

My bestest buddy El sent me an email this morning entitled "Look at the cover of the Economist". Unfortunately El did not include any text in his rather cryptic email and I have no clue how to get the Economist in print aside from those dudes who sell magazines on the street. Well, I suppose there are also the Shell shops, Max(y) Mart, Shoprite etc etc...but I digress. So I checked out the Economist online and their cover article is "An Endorsement of Barack Obama : Its Time" Now the Economist is hardly known as a left-leaning publication and at some point earned the wrath of some socialist types for being a mouthpiece of world finance capital. Now they are basically telling America to get on with it and elect Barack already and indeed I am inclined to believe these economist types know what they are talking about!
But what about the Bradley Effect? I heard somewhere that although this new buzz word may come into play, the power of the socalled Black vote may conteract this and influence the outcome of the election more than ever before. Indeed, African-Americans are turning out in record numbers to vote this year. I saw a window into this yesterday when I was hustling at the American Embassy in Accra. While I was bored out of my skull waiting for an appointment and being audibly assaulted by Bill O'Reilly on Fox News, I was struck by the number of African-Americans coming to register to vote and chatting excitedly about Obama. Of course, African-Americans living in Accra cannot possibly represent African-America in general but it was interesting to see. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an advocate of voting for Obama on the basis of his colour but in him I see someone who is young, dynamic and exciting. Also, he represents a radical change for America as well as for the world in general. Watch me jump on to the winner band-wagon at the 11th hour!
But is an Obama Presidency good for Africa? I listened to a debate on BBC's "Africa Have your Say" the other day and the general concensus was that a Democratic presidency (traditionally more domestically focused) may do less for Africa compared to what Bush has (supposedly) done for us over the past 8 years. However, the experts concurred that regardless, having a Black man in charge of the free world would do amazing things for the African psyche. Bring it on!

The Bradley Effect

Something I heard on the BBC last week was all about the "Bradley Effect".

Bradley Effect: = tendency for white voters to tell interviewers or pollsters that they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate, but then actually vote for his white opponent.
[SOURCE: wikipedia.com]

Apparently, The Bradley Effect is named after the 2nd African-American mayor of an American city, Tom Bradley. Mr. Bradley lost the California governorship race in 1982 and 1986 to the same Caucasian opponent. Apparently the Bradley Effect may be putting Obama ahead of McCain in the polls…. if Obama was the same person but white, he would be heading for a landslide victory. Such is the world we live in.