It has been a very unique experience getting to witness this election from Africa. From the day I arrived back in August, I have been consistently impressed with Africans' knowledge of - and desire to discuss - American politics. Numerous times I have been asked to explain the electoral college or have found myself discussing topics such as which swing states mattered most and what each side was doing to try to win those states. Africans inherently have an interest in American politics since we supply so much aid to the continent, and the interest in this year's election was significantly magnified with our current standing in world affairs and Obama's ancestral ties to the continent. Of course, Africans had a strong preference for Obama. I would guess that I met a total of 5-10 Africans who supported McCain/Palin during the past three months. I think that I discussed American politics more often over here than I ever did while living in the U.S. (although I think I would have been frequently discussing politics no matter my location during the past few months).
The only frustration I have with African views on American politics is how some assume that Obama's heritage will directly affect them. I have heard several comments from Kenyan Luo's (Obama's father's tribe) who believe that Obama winning the presidency shows that their tribe is superior or that Kenya and Africa in general will now become a primary recipient of American aid and partnership. These views are by no means the sentiment of all Africans, but there are several individuals who have expressed them. It's frustrating to see tribal conflicts and selfish desires get brought into this election, especially when we know that the focus of the administration will be first to fix the problems within our country. If - and hopefully when - that is accomplished, it is still foolish for Africans to assume that they are going to get any special favors just because of Obama's heritage.
I spent the previous 10 hours sitting with several other Americans and ex-pats at a bar in Kampala that we had rented out for the night. We had CNN on the entire time and watched as the votes accumulated - using snacks and unlimited coffee to keep our eyes open during to slow hours at the beginning. There was a definite air of excitement as we experienced history being made, and it culminated with the excellent speeches from both candidates. As everything wrapped up, almost all of the individuals who were present and not of American citizenship commented on how impressed they were with American patriotism. Ugandans especially were impressed with our elections. Here in Uganda nationalism is still often overshadowed by tribalism; people consider themselves to be members of their tribes before being Ugandans (it would be like me considering myself an Iowan before an American). Also, many Africans found it hard to believe that I had full confidence in our elections proceding with no hints of corruption or rigging (disregarding hanging chads, soggy ballots, etc.); that is something that is rarely experienced over here. Knowing all of that, I had a powerful sense of patriotism as I walked out of the bar.
Although I am happy I was able to experience this interesting perspective on American politics, I am jealous of those in the United States right now. It's a very exciting time for our country; it sounds cliche, but even as I walk around today, I feel like the world has shifted. No matter whether you are liberal or conservative, we know that the world is going to go through some significant changes in the upcoming months and years, and it's exciting to think about the possibilities. There seems to be an optimism spreading among many Americans about the future that we haven't seen for several years, yet it is coupled with an understanding of the tremendous challenges we face as a nation. It's an exciting time to be an American!
Cheers!
Chris
Pic: The beginning. We stayed like this for almost the entire night, except that the beers changed to coffees approximately 5 hours after this picture was taken :)
Pic: It took awhile for those first results to come in...
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