I might be the only African who is getting a little tired of the Obama phenomenon. And I might be the only one who was relieved that Chicago didn't win the bid for the 2016 Olympics. And I might be the only one who was pleasantly surprised that Chicago lost in the first round.
Don't get me wrong, I am awed by Obama. I love his story of growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia, tracing his roots in Kenya and becoming the first black president of the United States of America. But most of all, I love the image of a loving black husband and father that we see in the pictures and hear in his speeches. He gives me hope that I am not insane to expect African men to be romantic, and consoles me when I think that my African male friends who tell me that romance and educated wives are purportedly un-African, and then proceed to claim Obama as a Kenyan, African and black man, are culturally and psychologically conflicted. But isn't being conflicted the story of what colonialism did to us?
But I digress. I was impressed when I heard that Michelle Obama was going to represent America in persuading the IOC to favor Chicago, even though I felt that her presence in addition to Oprah's was making the bidding unfair in their favor. Brazil, Tokyo and most cities in the world do not have the luxury of having two black female powerhouses, one of whom owns media and can easily brainwash the world if she was determined to.
That gave way to feeling jaded when I listened to Michelle Obama's speech and that of her husband. It was just too personal for my liking. She was there to sell a city, but she talked about herself on her father's knee watching the Olympics as a girl. So we didn't get to hear about Chicago and her people but about her. The assumption, it seemed, was that if the world likes her story, then the world will like Chicago. I don't think that such a story is enough to sway a decision on where international sports will take place. (See transcripts of Michelle and Barack Obama's speeches).
Barack's speech was not much different; no wonder some reports indicate that the IOC was more impressed by his wife than by him. He asked the IOC to choose Chicago for the same reason that he "fell in love with the city" he calls home. I'm not too sure that Olympics are about falling in love with cities but about cities that embrace the Olympic spirit as expressed by all nationalities. And even though Obama would have the world believe that Chicago is a healthy conglomeration of different nationalities, the Pakistani IOC member Syed Shahid Ali reminded him that it may be so within America's borders, but not outside, since going through US Customs (and he should have also mentioned visa application process) is often a nightmare for foreigners.
At least Barack talked a little more about the characteristics of the city that should make it appealing, but at the end, he made the same assumption as Michelle that what impressed Americans would not only impress the rest of the world, but also that his story proves that the American dream is universal. Hence his statement that what Chicago represents is not just the American dream but the Olympic spirit. I think he was a little presumptive there. The American dream is not a universal ethos. On the other hand, I appreciate that the use of personal narratives as representative of larger ones is a distinctly American way of speaking. Maybe the IOC needed to get that flavor of American culture.
On the other hand, while speeches about personal experiences and childhood dreams did impress the American voters, some of whom I suspect wanted to show that racism really isn't a problem but blacks refusing to pull themselves by the bootstraps is, they do not necessarily drive the world. Yes, the world was impressed by Obama's story and his achievement, but the world cannot build a greener economy, resolve conflicts and the historical imbalance between the North and the South on the basis of his personal story as a son of a Kenyan father making it in America. When push comes to shove, Obama is still American and his country is the major cause of most of these problems. America remains the empire, regardless of its president. Brazillian president Lula da Silva probably knew as much when he called on the IOC to redress the imbalance that has ensured that the hosting of Olympics has been dominated by Europe, North America and Asia.
Not that Brazil is any better than the US, despite appealing to the North-South imbalance. Brazil contains the largest African population outside the continent, which also forms the majority of the Brazilian population, but Brazil is yet to have a black president. I doubt that the Afro-Brazillians will even partake in the glory of hosting the Olympics.
Again, I digress. I think the Obamas are soon going to lose their political-ness and become mere celebrities if they don't find another narrative with which to engage the rest of the world. Some reports - which I suspect are biased but nevertheless instructive - indicate that the IOC members were "wowed" by Oprah and "took souvenir shots of the president with their cell phones." That is not good, although it may simply show that politics has now been drowned by the cult of celebrity that is fast becoming entrenched and is probably inevitable. Nevertheless, if the Obamas are not careful, they will soon become walking tourist attractions where people want to get close to them for momentos rather than to discuss fundamental issues.
The Obamas need to get more political and less mushy. The campaigns are over and yes, Obama won. And yes, we know the story about his Kenyan father and his success are proof of the American dream. But now he needs to act like a president, not like he is convincing us to accept him as a president. And top on my wish list would be to take great exception to that racist fool, otherwise known as the prime-minister of Italy, who supposedly forgets Obama's name and so has to call him a tanned president. The audacity!
That's why I think the President needs some new speech writers who would move beyond the campaign rhetoric and now reflect a black man who is in - not aspiring for - the White House. We need to hear words that show grasp of international histories and engage international issues, not renditions of The Audacity of Hope in which Obama presents readers with several pairs of contrasts and then tell us of the common ground in each. The President needs to be a leader; not a reconciler.
And he may be able to do so be hiring another speech writer of a different thinking and experience than the ones he has right now. As he often says, diversity is important. So it may need to be reflected in his team of writers. In other words, if anyone in the White House is reading this, I am asking for a job. But even my application is not considered, I hope that the person will send my Happy 16th wedding anniversary wishes to the President and the First Lady. When I grow up, I want a marriage like theirs.
