A little over a year ago, my wife and I traveled to Africa for our honeymoon and wedding (and a lot of sight seeting--more on that over the next few weeks). Part of that time was spent in Tanzania and part of it was in Kenya. This was during the craziest part of the 2008 presidential primary race when Hillary Clinton had the perceived lead over Barak Obama and every other would-be democratic nominee.
What was surprising to us is how aware of Obama and the primary process the average folks in Kenya appeared to be. We were asked on many occasions if Obama was going to be President of the United States of America. Even back then, over a year ago when he was in second place, there was an undeniable interest, hope, and genuine excitement about his prospects.
Given the post-election turmoil that erupted in Kenya near the end of our trip, it's no surprise that Kenyans were celebrating his election and inauguration a few days ago. If anyone needed hope for change and a promising future after political unrest, it was the people of Kenya.
When is the last time that a presidential election had such a far-reaching affect on ordinary people?
Posted by jzawodn at January 23, 2009 07:06 AM
Considering how many Kenyans believe Obama was born there, it's not surprising.
Try a search on "raila obama cleansing" for info on a different part of the backstory.
No, not surprising at all. Obama actually campaigned for Raila Odinga in November 2006. You'd think this would be more widely known, after all the handiwork Odinga supporters did around election time. Great foresight and support for a (literally) bloody marxist by our Commander-in-Chief.
