Obama: A barrier broken

By Kofi Akordor
When news broke that a young senator from the State of Illinois was gearing up to contest the Democratic nomination for the American presidency, the questions on the lips of many included: ”Is it mere adventure, or yet another bout of day-dreaming?”
It began dramatically in 2004, when Senator Barack Obama delivered a fiery speech at the Democratic Party Convention. His oratory was not only impressive, but he seemed to imbibe a lot of wisdom and sophistry in delivery on matters that cut across racial, social and economic lines. The question still remained: “How can the son of a black person from Kenya take custody of the White House, which is the symbol of white supremacy and dominance in the world?”
Obama was not the first black to stake claim to the US presidency. Others like the Reverend Jesse Jackson had blazed the trail but made very little impact in a racially prejudiced country. That was why Obama’s ambition at the time did not sound quite impressive to many, especially the blacks who, bogged down by inferiority complex and knowing the overwhelming racial impediments, gave him very little chance.
When Obama’s campaign gathered momentum, there was very little doubt that Americans were responding to a new awakening. After one of the longest and sometimes acrimonious primaries between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, the former emerged as the choice of the Democrats to contest Republican Senator John McCain for the White House.
November 5, 2008, was a historic day for Africa, when Obama’s victory in the US presidential election was confirmed. It was not one person’s victory in a keen contest but a victory over inferiority complex and racial prejudice. It was a victory which led Africa to cross a serious psychological barrier.
President Obama may not do anything drastic more than what other US Presidents have done or will do for Africa in terms of development aid. However, one thing is clear. The Obama presidency has restored hope and confidence in the African and blacks elsewhere. It has erased centuries of brainwashing, which placed psychological barriers to progress among blacks generally.
The choice of Ghana as his first place of call in sub-Saharan Africa, after addressing the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, in June, 2009, did not come as an accident. Ghana had always played a pivotal role in Africa’s struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism and was instrumental in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which is now the African Union (AU).
The relentless effort of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to affirm the African Personality and to give hope to the Black race had won him as an individual, much respect and placed Ghana on a special pedestal in the international community.
Ghana’s efforts at peace-keeping are well-known and globally acknowledged. From the Congo Crisis in the 1960s, the deserts of the Middle East, Darfur, Bosnia-Herzegovina to the jungles of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ghana has always expressed its solidarity with people in conflict zones and played prominent roles to restore sanity to distressed parts of the world.
In recent times, Ghana has been able to overcome years of political instability which had been the bane of many African countries, to establish the foundations for strong democratic governance which had seen five general elections and the change of baton from one government to another twice.
The discovery of oil in large commercial quantities in addition to its already known rich mineral and forest resources has made Ghana a prime attraction to many investors and the US cannot be ruled out.
The response given to President Obama’s visit by Ghanaians was spontaneous and ecstatic. President Bill Clinton was well received in 1998, so was President George W. Bush in 2008, albeit on a limited scale. President Obama was like a son returning to the land and so was appropriately given the reception he received. That the Presidents of the last three US Administrations made Ghana their destinations on the continent, is also a revelation that should not be taken for granted. Ghana must ride on and its democracy must grow.
As stated earlier, President Obama may not be able to do more than others before him in terms of development assistance, because of budgetary limitations. He can, however, do something to bring African leaders to order.
Despite strides in democratic governance on the continent, there is still a good chunk of the old order parading the corridors of power on the continent. Some, like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Paul Biya of Cameroon, are allies of the US, but this continent cannot make headway in its development efforts if its political fortunes continue to remain in the hands of a few dictators and charlatans. In his address to Parliament and other invited guests, President Obama was not charitable to corrupt African leaders who have presided over the collapse of the economies of their countries. Foreign aid, he rightly told his audience, is the not the solution to Africa’s problems, but only a supplement to the real efforts of Africans themselves.
An Obama presidency is a challenge to African leaders to nurture dreams and bring them to fruition. The virtue Obama symbolises is that self-pity, inferiority complex and the feeling of inadequacy should be things of the past.
Can it be said that Africa is ready to step into the limelight and be counted among the global community?
It is a cruel co-incidence that in a week when we were welcoming President Obama, the highest and most influential political figure ever to emerge from among the black race, we should also be mourning Michael Jackson, an icon in the entertainment business. Whichever way one looks at it, it is evident that the Black race has all the endowments necessary for its redemption and it needs just a bit of mental readjustment to register its mark on the world scene.