The Enigma that is Obama
Barrack Obama. The name is synonymous with an African renaissance. African, I insist. Not least because Obama's father was an African a Kenyan. But the issue is much more than biological connection. After all, it was only later that Obama was to attempt a sociological understanding of his father. Obama represents what was, for a long time, suppressed in black Africans. He represents the liberating of a spirit locked in for centuries, not through the fault of Africans but through the conditions under which they were permitted to live. I use the term ‘permitted' deliberately, for black Africans and that would include black Americans have generally lived their lives at the beck and call of the ‘other'.
But I would be naïve, not to say unfaithful to Obama, if I went on ranting along these racial trajectories. For he would be the first one to stop me. And therein lies the enigma that Obama seems to present to many of us in Africa. Of course, Obama would say that we should not make light of the question of race in America. But he would be quicker, I believe, to outline the need for the unity of races, and that is not a bad thing. His whole campaign is based upon the theme of unity.
This theme of unity is at the core of Obama's campaign. But it is precisely that middle-of-the-road approach which makes him such an enigma, someone whose views you cannot quite pin down. In America, they find it easier to characterise such a person as a ‘flip-flopper', but I think we must acknowledge that that is an overly simplistic way of summing up someone's views on life. And Americans, rather than be taken in by such political gimmickry, must allow themselves the intellectual rigour of ascribing depth of thought to their electoral candidates. This is, by no means, an apologia for Obama. It is an invitation to go beyond the mediated definitions of electoral candidates, something which even John McCain seemed to acknowledge when he invited Obama for town-hall meetings. But, if I may digress, why would Obama want to run his campaign on the basis of someone else's campaign? I find McCain's seemingly well-meaning invitation utterly deceitful. Why would you want your adversary to determine the terms of electoral engagement?
But I digress too much: the key issue I am contending with is the enigmatic figure that Obama seems to cut to some of us in Africa. Already, as soon as he made his appearance at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), there was some murmuring that he would be no different from any American president, that his openly pro-Israeli policy would alienate him from most of the ‘Third World' (I use the nomenclature ‘Third World' advisedly, knowing the postcolonial arguments against it) which has generally had a soft spot for the Palestinian people. But Obama is a politician we mustn't forget that. We mustn't forget, too, that he is at pains to portray himself as a unifier, someone who does not necessarily flow along with the tide of simplistic positions on world affairs.
That seems to be the point of political differentiation that he wants to capitalise on, but such a persona is usually difficult to fashion in American politics. Especially when one is dealing with media pundits that favour simplicity over sophistication, disquiet over quiet, disunity over unity, ‘war' (of words) over peace, and all the other political binarisms.
That's the difficult position that Obama finds himself in, a position that is as much about his biology as it is about his sociology. Born of a white mother and a black father, he is no stranger to biological hybridity. Raised up by her mother in a racially divided society, he is no stranger to racial hybridity. And it is the theme of cultural hybridity that he wants to push across. He must do that in a way that does not alienate the cultural die-hards. And there are so many such cultural die-hards among many of us in Africa, and in America itself. We sometimes see Obama as not black-African enough in his policy articulations. But how does mainstream White America see him? This will be determined at the polls in November, but I can bet he is equally an enigma to many white Americans. Who what is he? That question will forever play around our lips, but dare we answer it? For Obama has placed us all in an awkward position: he is inviting us all to take up a position. The question of race and racism has become such an issue as it was in the era of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I don't know how that question will be answered in November, but it will certainly redefine American politics.
And African politics, too, I hope. For there is some lesson Africa can learn from Obama's electoral campaign. Obama has definitely shown many in Africa that the value of college/university education must not be underestimated. It is among the young and educated white Americans that Obama seems to have found favour. It seems hope for transcending the colour bar in America lies with the young and the educated. This has implications for social and educational policy both in America and in Africa. If Africa can hope to transcend the politics of tribalism, ethnicity and regionalism, it must attempt to harness the educational potentialities of its youth. Obama's campaign has shown us that much. And we must learn from it. Within America, I can only encourage educational planners to implement more racially integrated educational reforms. The non-racial future of that great nation, Obama's campaign has shown us, lies in its youth.
So, there we have it: Obama represents an enigma that will for many years to come define both American and African politics. More importantly, Obama's ascendance in American mainstream politics represents an African renaissance, an acknowledgement that all is not lost for the sons and daughters of Africa. For Obama is not running for president of some insignificant developed country; he is running for President of the United States. That, if nothing else, must count for something. And, I bet, it is what would redeem America's lost soul. And restore its greatness among nations. For America belongs to all, both within and without. Such is its greatness.