Tuesday, November 11, 2008

IS BARACK OBAMA THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD

Obama on the telly,Obama in the papers, Obama on bumper stickers. Why, you wonder, has the world taken on to Obama to almost mystical, spiritual proportions? And its not in Africa alone. Although the Africans have clearly outdone themselves on this one. Sometimes you wonder, who is happier about Obama's poll victory- the Americans or the Kenyans for instance? Obamamania has been witnessed in Japan, europe and the middle east. A friend of mine thinks this cant-get-enough- of Obama thing is a commentry on our own state of affairs. That because we are so repulsed by our own politics especialy down here in Africa, we look to Obama as alternative political redemption. That if we loved our politics enough we wouldnt be too distracted by Barack Obama. That its the same reason the english premiership has a cult following in Africa. That we cant stand our own soccer clubs, match fixing and mal foot ball administration. The truth of course is that Obama is a very inspirational human interest story in its own right but does our craze for him say something about how we feel about things in our own countries? Is the world looking for a saviour out of all the hopelessness, the despair, the financial quagmire in which we are mirred?. Its food for thought.