Kenyan Family Obama

The bulk of the press pack appears to be in western Kenya, staking out the home of Barack Obama's extended family. Today we get news that the family wants to watch the election results in peace and won't be holding any more news conferences. Seems a bit late for that, but so be it.

I too have harassed Obama's extended family, though from the confines of Nairobi. The most curious thing about my brief interaction with the Obamas was some relatives' insistence that it was no big deal to have the son of a Kenyan goatherd-turned-economist as the Democratic nominee for the Most Powerful Job In The World. Whatever you think of Obama, this is of the most staggering plotlines in the history of American politics -- for what it says about America being a place of opportunity and about the current state of race relations in the United States, among other things -- and I was stunned to hear such professed nonchalance, particularly from the people closest to BO.

On the other hand, it is difficult to overstate just how excited ordinary Kenyans are about the prospect of an Obama presidency. This is well-trodden ground, but it bears repeating. You just can't imagine it unless you've seen it. Kenyans are just stunned that Americans might elect a black man, and the son of one of their own citizens, to boot. People hope that it will ease tribal tensions. Some say it's a case of America finally doing what it always tells other nations to do. Others think that an Obama election might mean America isn't as nasty as they once believed (a telling and sorry sign of the U.S. image abroad if there ever was one). If Kenya is any indication, the positive impact of an Obama win on America's reputation will be huge.

There are indeed some who support McCain. Among them is my old pal Reagan, a Somali Ethiopian refugee/quasi-rebel who gave me a lecture the other day about the dangers of believing too much in polling data.

Comments

[Alex]

What is the Word of Somali Ethiopian, I Really does not Like to heard calling me of what I am not, ofcourse there is a somalis living in ethiopia mostly at the corners of the ethio-somali Border. But I am Not amongthem, And I cannot be somalized, knowing and understanding of the fact is the best one. The word somali ethiopian uses by Males Zenawi for discrimination and removing of the Ogadens, since ever before Males/Leggase Zenawi become in power I never heard, read, somali ethiopian, two words very difficulty even to say Somali---Ethiopian, unacceptable ideology. There is Afar, Amhara, Oromos, Tigre, Kampata, Ogadeni, Gurage. But all they are called ethiopians, why then means somali-ethiopian.
When Some body calls me a somali-ethiopian it is like knife cutting at main parts of my body, I am really sorry for that, I hate Every calls me or considers as a somali-ethiopian, people whom males/laggase give this name of somali-ethiopian, they are ethnic somali, living in ethiopia, for a very few limit locations in the desert of ogadens most of them are in ethio-somali border. Somali-ethiopian is an age 14 yrs Very ugly and it died.