The euphoria that greeted the rise of Barack Obama as first black President of the U.S. is beginning to give rise to practical realities especially as far as Africa is concerned. This is especially true of his ancestral home – Kenya where hopes were so high on Obama. After seven months in office, President Obama has given the first signal that Kenya does not in any way constitute a priority, not in his first trip to (sub-Saharan) Africa. Has the son forgotten his roots?
Obama Speaks of Kenya in Bleak Terms
After Obama’s election victory in December 2008, Kenyan President Moi Kibaki was among the first African leaders to heap praises on Obama as an illustrious son of Kenya. Kibaki defined Obama’s victory as “… our own victory because of his roots here in Kenya.” While Kibaki praised a “democratically elected” son, his own country was still trapped in conflict triggered by election rigging blamed on Kibaki and his cronies. What did Obama make of this?
It was in his recent visit to Ghana that President Obama drew a fine line between what Kenya expected of him and what he was ready to offer. The U.S President spoke of Kenya in very bleak terms, citing Kenya as a case study in backwardness and underdevelopment. “Countries like Kenya which had a per capita income larger than South Korea’s have been far outpaced,” Obama said.
Obama pointed out that corruption and tribalism where among the major forces shaping the life of Kenya as a country and Africa as a continent. “In my father’s life” Obama said, “it was partly tribalism and patronage that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.” By implication therefore, Kenya was not worthy of his visit whether he carried Kenyan blood or not.
How was Obama’s Ghana visit viewed in Kenya?
Obama’s rhetoric about corruption and tribalism was a direct assault on the ruling class in Kenya. It was also a reminder of Kenya’s recent post-election violence which vividly contrasts with Ghana’s (recent) smooth transition. Seen from this angle, President Obama must have seriously hurt the ruling elite and its supporters. “No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery,” Obama stressed.
While Obama’s refusal to visit Kenya is seen as a “snub” at the regime by many, his open rebuke of the system is welcome news for opponents of the systerm. One reader of Kenya’s Nation observed that “President Obama will skip the country of his ancestors because he does not want to interact, politic, wine and dine with dictators, non-reformists, and ethnic chauvinists.”
If there is any doubt as to why President Obama decided to ignore, snub and openly rebuke the land of his ancestors, then Obama did not hide his reason for this decision. “By traveling to Ghana, we hope to highlight the effective governance that they have in place,” he told AllAfrica.com.
What the leadership in Nairobi makes of Obama’s rebuke will be seen only in the future. But Obama seems to have hit the right chord by advocating justice for the people as expressed in African proverbial wisdom. “One cannot use dirty hands to eat with the gods.” Though African leaders have challenged this wisdom for a long time, it remains to be seen how Obama’s mantra of change can “clean the hands” of these leaders.
Sources
Escobedo, Tricia. “Obama’s Ghana trip sends messages across Africa.” CNN, July 10, 2009.
Ekine, Sokari. “Obama’s Africa speech lacked substance.” PAMBAZUKA NEWS. July 16, 2009.
Wordswoth, Araminta. “Obama’s visit to Ghana miffs Kenya, Nigeria.” National Post.com, July 10, 2009.
Tongkeh Joseph Fowale - Tongkeh Joseph Fowale is a post graduate student of International Public Affairs at LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome - Italy.
