VIEWPOINT Obama-Mania To Transcends African Politics? Posted by Charles Carr, LLB (Hons) Law, LLM in Business Law on Nov 24, 2008, 17:20

Over the past six months, it is being observed that the American politics have ceremoniously pervaded in no other continent than in Africa. Thus, the United States politics has been the talk of most Africans, even those in their rural forests jungles, mending their day to day farming has been caught up with the discussion, just because of one extraordinary person by the name of Barrack Obama, whom, words have spread, like wild fire, that he is of African decent, a real African American, who is taking up a very strong challenge in a ‘big brother’ political playing field, standing for the high office of President of the United State of America (USA). Thus, the beginning of the visionary, obama-mania, to transcend African politics?

What has emerged thoughtfully and passionately is whether it is real that obama-mania could transcend to Africa to enlighten its brand of politics, especially as television world news cast and international newspapers pictures are beaming Africans of old and young, haves and have-nots, the sick and healthy, all serenading genuinely for Barrack Obama on his victorious win to the throne of Presidency of the USA. Again, this makes one to wonder if the three extraordinary characteristics, such as,  humility, focus and family orientated, that have been imposed on the new man himself, President Elect Barrack Obama, has, or is, by some magical influence to be  transcending into African politics, which has usually been labelled with corruption, dictatorship and greed.

The obama-mania, though it may seem inadvertently struck in Africa, has come at a time when the situation can be described as the morning after the African peoples have had their good night’s sleep, and have woke up full of energy and so, running the palms of their hands through their faces, as if to regain fresh ideas by such acts to start the day ahead of them.

Yes, despite this inadvertent obama-mania, some Africans are still not conscious, just as it would happen that despite a good night’s sleep some of the African peoples will still not feel fresh-up to start another day.

But, the significance of Barrack Obama’s political victory, as an African American ascending to the Whitehouse is that it seems to be indicating passionately the brand of politicians the Africans may be seeking to develop their politics in a region that is blessed with good natural resources, excellent brains around the four corners of the globe and the moral qualities, such as kind heartedness for their neighbours, respect for the elders/leaders and upholding strong discipline in their communities, to name but a few.

Now, on the basis of the first characteristic, that is, humility, which is mentioned earlier to have been imposed in the USA President Elect, Barrack Obama, most Africans may have observed by instinctive visionary the same trait in him, just as millions of Americans who helped to elect him to the presidency. But Africans are inarticulate to communicate the message on verbally. Nonetheless, the demonstrative awareness throughout Africa to genuinely support his forthright challenge to bring about change through his election victory, is not only a clear indication of the true humility they have instinctively discovered in him, but also, the kind of political personality that the Africans are craving to see as heads of their different states in this 21^st Century world. 

History has, and is, recorded that most African politicians are dishonourable and they are ever involved in corruption, selfishness and greed. Such dishonourable practices are not in parity with the humble approach the President Elect Barrack Obama has been striving to project in a bipartisan image since his victory to the presidency. Thus, the victory is enabling Mr Obama to be portraying the politics of inclusiveness, rather than the politics of revenge and direct actions, which the Africans have been experiencing in their political fields.

International news media, such as the British Financial Times, have described Mr Obama’s journey to the White House as `by no means been free from criticism’. This even expresses how difficult it has been for Mr Obama to break the barrier of the white supremo clan. Such a political journey is hardly the case of most African politicians for the good of their peoples, except for a person like Mandela, who, in his struggle to free South Africa from white apartheid, endured hardship and criticism in ‘his road to freedom’.

Just two weeks after his election victory, President Elect Barrack Obama has come out showing again his humility, as he gracefully met with his Republican Party rival, Senator John McCain, at the president-elect’s transition headquarters in Chicago, Illinios. Mr Obama declares publicly to work in partnership with Mr McCain to bring about that change he has been preaching in his pre-election campaign. This un-rivalry reunion and bipartisanship with his opponent is the kind of approach Africans are seeking to set as a political bench-mark of change in the attitude on the African politicians, especially as the Africans are becoming fully aware that unity brings strength.

The joy that the peoples in African share on Mr Obama’s ascension to the white House is a joy demonstrating how eager they want to see their politicians stand to the test of political contention like Obama. This could enable them to put aside party politics, as Mr Obama is doing and work with their contenders in a cosy atmosphere to plan and execute critical challenges like solving their countries’ deploring infrastructures such as roads, water and sanitary systems, bring full electricity to their towns and villages, creating employment for the unemployed, developing the health, education and economic policies to lift the Africans from poverty and killer diseases which have gripped them for so long.

The display of un-rivalry unity showed by the President Elect Barrack Obama is the kind of humility which the Africans would insist, demonstratively, their politicians portray with grace to convince them that they would be willing to lead Africa forward and not backwards as has been in the 20^th Century.

Now, turning to the other characteristic, that is, focus, as mentioned earlier about Obama’s character, a general research on the President Elect Barrack Obama’s life, shown that he had been seen by friends and acquaintances as a man equipped with ‘intellect for the high office’, despite some has branded him as having the ‘thinnest resume of anyone to lead the White House’.

Well, drawing parity with the opinion of those who commented on the resume of the President Elect, Obama, most African politicians have the thinnest resume to be in the leading political teams to lead their various states/countries. But if the politicians in African adopt that kind of focus which is being vision in Mr Obama, they would be fulfilling the dreams of the African people just like Barrack Obama has fulfilled the dreams of many African Americans to enable them to live to see one of their race as the leader of a great nation.

Like Obama has, Africans are looking for their politicians to have that ‘unusual measure of self control’, calmness in character that can even lead people to consider them as arrogant rather than corrupt or greedy or even selfish.

The third and most important character trait describe in the President Elect Obama is family orientated. Obama as a politician who have challenged the bad habits of the American politics and won the seat of the White House is appealing to Africans in Africa just as well as his life as a successful family man. It is this brand of politician, as Mr Obama is, a successful African American politician with broader family and communities interests that the Africans are seeking to replace their old brand of politicians. It is a perception which may show that the peoples in Africa are not only seeking that their politicians be representatives of themselves but leaders of their nations.

In the past, African politicians have only showed narrow interests on their immediate community and that have been directed only to their closest family members. However, the transcendent of obama-mania in African politics is not going to allow that selfishness and narrow interests to continue without the African people standing up against them in the future for the good of their nations.

The Africans will want to see their politicians focusing on broader interests that could benefit their communities and the world just as Mr Barrack Obama has emerged to benefit the world and not just the American people.

Africans will be craving for the ego of the new politician, the obama-mania to be passed on to the African politicians so that they can represent the broader interests of their people in all spheres and like Mr Obama, change the bad habits of the African politics.

However, if there is anyone out there who thinks that obama-mania may not be transcending African politics, they only have to look for the reactions of Africans in the coming years, in their choice of political leaders to bring about that change, so badly needed, in Africa just as it has in America, to wipe out corruption, dictatorship and greed in African politics.