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The Inauguration
By Harmony | January 20, 2009 | 10:44 pm
A day that will go down in the history books. That’s what the news is saying. And maybe it’s true. I think we all have high hopes for the Obama administration. I know I do. Either way, today was a special day.
I feel very privileged to have experienced the inauguration here in Kenya, the birthplace of Obama’s father. If you think that Americans are excited about the new president, you’ve never talked to a Kenyan! I don’t think a day goes by without someone in my village proclaiming that Obama is his uncle! Kenyans are proud to have someone of such high international status to call their own. And yes, Obama is Kenyan, didn’t you know? According to 90% of Kenyans, he was born right here. And no matter what I say to convince them otherwise (you can’t be president in America unless you are *born* in America, I say), they just won’t believe it. Obama is the son of Kenya, end of story.
Besides the obvious family ties to Kenya, it is no wonder that the people cling to Obama’s every word. Kenyans are still trying to cope with the tragic violence that took place after their own elections a year ago. Tribal and ethnic differences divide the nation, even today. Yet, the general feeling among the people is that the post-election violence was completely wrong and uncalled for. Kenyans seem to be embarrassed by it. Today, you hear people talking about unity and the “People of Kenya,” rather than the Kikuyu, Kamba, Kalenjin, Maasai, Luo, Luhya, Digo, or any of the other 70 tribal groups in this country. For them, Obama represents unity. He represents change. And he represents the result of true democracy, not some loosely based version of it.
The uplifting thing is that Kenyans do have a positive outlook. In general, they don’t trust their government. They have this uncanny ability to point the finger at themselves when something goes wrong (it seems that Americans tend to point the proverbial finger at someone else, don’t you think?) But overall, the people of Kenya are optimistic. They see what they can have (a non-corrupt government, better schools, better infrastructure, etc), and they talk about how, God willing, they will have it. It’s quite refreshing, actually. So I can see how Obama has become a role model for them. He represents all the things they want here in their fine country.
Above is a photo I snapped at exactly noon (Washington D.C. time), the moment Obama officially became President of the United States of America. Everyone in my compound was huddled around the television, which happened to be airing the inauguration (thanks, CNN)!
Topics: Culture |