(Originally posted on Blogspot on November 3, 2008)
I sit here at home in sticky Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, watching the BBC countdown to the American presidential election. The two top stories of the night are the following:
- The start of the presidential election day in the U.S.
- The start of rebel violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Here in East Africa, the former sparks excitement, the latter elucidates fear.
Two nights ago–at a remote beach with no supply of electricity except for a few solar panels and gas generators–I sat with African counterparts watching a debate from Doha, Qatar, with the topic, “Would John McCain be better for the Middle East?” After what I deemed to be a resounding victory for the McCain side, the local audience voted 87% against that notion.
As McCain stated, Obama has become an international celebrity and I could not agree more, especially here in East Africa. They’ve had a “Tanzania for Obama” rally (with T-shirts), a special on BBC Inside Africa highlighting Tanzania’s Obama-philia, and a small Swahili paperback
book, “Maisha ya Barack Obama [Life of Barack Obama]” sold randomly at bus stations, restaurants, etc.
However, to classify his celebrity status through juxtaposing him with Paris Hilton was blasphemous. From what I can tell, the international community looks at Obama with respect
and with hope–two characteristics few would attribute to Paris. I implore, is it bad for an American leader to be globally iconic of such admirable traits? Nelson Mandela, Mohatma Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are a few “international celebrities” whose legacies continue to inspire the young, the old, the white, the black, and the many inbetween. While
Obama’s legacy is frankly limited to his campaign achievements, not nearly reaching the levels of those mentioned above, people believe in his potential to reach their caliber.
The world is interconnected. As I stated at the start of this entry, I’m posting on an American website as I watch BBC on television, listening to my Tanzanian housemate’s Latin American MP3s, thinking about Qatar in the Middle East, typing on a Japanese computer that was probably manufactured in China. Maybe the financial crisis will cause this to contract but I doubt it (I actually think it’s overly-hyped and that the economy is essentially ok, remarkably similar to what McCain said).
As we move forward, the U.S. may lose its banking superpower status, but there’s reason to believe that it will continue to remain the iconic superpower. The world will face more problems and often the world will look to the U.S. for help in resolving them. Or at least it’ll look at
the U.S. as a land of hope and opportunity where one can escape theses problems and fulfill his/her dreams.
If Obama wins, people here will be inspired. If he loses, they will be devastated. A friend of mine was wondering if there will be riots in the U.S. if Obama loses–possibly. However, I’m more worried about the emotional deflation of a large majority of the world’s population and the
consequences of their perceived feeling of failure and disappointment.
Regardless of who wins the election tomorrow, the U.S. will take a new direction into the future. Either an African-American will be president or a female will be vice-president–both at considerably young ages. It is a stunning leap for all of those who are not of the traditional political class (old white males) and something that makes me very proud to be an American.
Vote tomorrow and enjoy it because many people across the world will be in their villages listening to solar-powered radios only wishing they could have such an opportunity to participate.