(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Following the recent debate between Presidential candidates Obama and McCain on Wednesday, the fate of the candidates is largely in the hands of the thousands of volunteers who work for them. Especially for half-Kenyan Barack Obama, the enthusiasm is great abroad.
Barack Obama is everywhere in East Africa. In the streets of both Tanzania and Kenya, several of the minibuses carry his name, followed by the campaign's slogan in sheer italics: "Yes we can!" one sees ads with different Obama events. "Free admission if you get in an Obama shirt" could be read in a publication in Tanzania's largest city of Dar es Salaam. In Kenya, a writer who had written derogatory about the presidential candidate with Kenyan ancestry was recently detained.
In a poll conducted by the BBC last month, people in 22 countries were asked who they would like to see as the next US president, and in all of those countries Obama got more support than John McCain. Not surprisingly, the majority was the largest in Kenya, where Obama's father was born in 1936. 87 percent of those surveyed in Kenya said they would prefer to see Barack Obama in the White House, while only five percent preferred McCain. Can the Obama effect contribute to increased interest in elections and politics in the African continent?
Less ethnicity
- Obama sends an important message to Africa: There is no doubt that this creates increased interest in democracy and elections in this country, says Masoud Salim from Zanzibar to Ny Tid in Tanzania.
- African politics has had a tired tendency to focus too much on ethnicity – vote for your politician from your ethnic group! But if a half-Kenyan man can reach as far as Obama has done in the world's most powerful country, can this inspire him to look beyond ethnic groups, including in Africa? asks Salim. He believes Obama is sending a very important message to Africa and has therefore established the "Zanzibar for Obama" campaign.
- It started with me writing "Zanzibar for Obama" on one of my shoes. Then I sprayed the same message under this tree, since then it has gone from strength to strength, says Salim. Two weeks ago, he arranged his own Obama meeting in the old town of Stone Town in Zanzibar City, with good attendance. T-shirts, buttons, posters and even paintings of the presidential candidate hang at the "campaign office", a large mango tree opposite one of the city's hotels.
Message and character
- How important is it that Obama has African ancestry?
- If Obama can achieve this, my skin color should not do anything impossible for me either. I think many young Africans have been inspired by just this, says Salim, who at the same time states that the commitment to Obama is about more than skin color.
- It is his positive message – his enthusiasm, his character. Obama's willingness to tell the truth, even when it's bad.
- What can Obama do for Africa?
- I do not think we can expect Obama to make a big difference for either Tanzania or Africa in the first place – but I think he will change a lot of foreign policy and focus more on building bridges rather than tearing them down. The fact that Obama is so young, I hope, will also inspire young Africans to dare to invest politically.
Capture tourists
The goal of Masoud Salim's Obama campaign is clear:
– If I can get more American tourists to vote for Obama, I have achieved a lot. At the same time, we have created a platform where those of us who like Obama can express our support. We must show that the world is also behind Obama, Salim believes. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida visited Zanzibar a month ago and witnessed the local Obama campaign. He has promised Salim to convey the message to the presidential candidate.
Others are more skeptical. "Can we eat democracy?" Asks another Tanzanian, more skeptical of the Obama effect, future prospects and priorities. Will the Obama fever affect the patron-client relationship that characterizes African politics – bought votes and election rigging "Nigeria style"? Many young people believe that. Obama's slogan "Yes, we can" has become the language of choice for many.
- I think the Obama fever in East Africa will affect the interest in politics here too, says Salim.
