There’s no denying that the first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa by the first black president of the United States is a big deal. And there’s no denying that every African head of state lobbied heavily to serve as host for this historic occasion.
Therefore, it speaks volumes that President Barack Obama has relegated today’s visit to a one-day stopover. And it speaks even more so that he’s snubbing both South Africa, the most powerful country in Africa, and Kenya, the country that claims him as its native son (because that’s where his father was born). Instead, he’s limiting his visit to Ghana, the place most African Americans associate with the slave trade.
Not to mention that this one-day visit to Africa smacks of little more than a politically correct gesture after his one-week visit to Europe, where he clearly took in ALL the sights.
Incidentally, I hope Obama accepts the good-natured ribbing that will surely follow from being caught in this leering fashion; i.e., instead of giving us some politically correct spin about looking down but not checking out that booty. Especially since I’m sure that Berlusconi, Sarkozy and, not least, Clinton will be happy to consider this shot his initiation into their fraternity of lovable, political cads.
But I digress….
Actually, I don’t blame Obama for giving Africa such short shrift. After all, despite hundreds of billions in US foreign aid to promote good governance, economic development and public health, that Dark Continent remains blighted by political corruption, chronic poverty, tribal warfare and deadly diseases.
More to the point, he’s understandably loath to visit South Africa – given that its president, Jacob Zuma, is an alleged rapist and thief, and of whom no less a person than the Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, proclaimed all South Africans should be ashamed. And he’s understandably loath to visit Kenya – given that its president, Mwai Kibaki, resorted to tribal vote-rigging and Big-Dada thuggery to steal his re-election last year.
This is why I am convinced Obama chose Ghana by default. Though, to be fair, it deserves to be lauded as the most stable democracy in Africa, having had three successful (i.e., transparent and non-violent) transfers of power from one democratically elected leader to another since 1992. And no doubt this will be the official reason given for Obama’s visit.
Of course Ghana will herald him as a latter-day black Moses. Yet how can any self-respecting black person take pride in the fact that Obama will spend less time on his first state visit to Africa than President George W. Bush?
Frankly, one can be forgiven the impression that he chose Ghana as much for its geography as for its politics. Since, situated as it is on the West coast of Africa, this will allow him to make his fly-by visit without spending too much time in Sub-Saharan Africa’s politically toxic airspace.
Related commentary:
Post-election conflict in Kenya
Hail Zuma … Bid Dada
AFRICOM: No good deed Bush does goes unpunished
Zimbabwe: plagued by Mugabe … and Cholera
POLYCARP OGWUEGBU says
I wish Obama did not even visit any African countries at all. Yes, African leaders and their corrupt practices do not deserve equal treatment like European and American counterparts owing the fact that they dont care even if they are treated differently. Example is Nigeria, this country has nothing to show but loud mouth and unnecessary religious dogmatism.