Obama visits Africa

*Warning: the following blog post contains mild political and religious opinions*

This is a picture of Sho-sho, the mother of the Pastor's wife with whom I had the pleasure to stay with last weekend, and she's watching the news when Obama arrived in Kenya last Friday night. His arrival was heralded as a "homecoming" here and was especially emotional for the Luo people, the tribe his father came from, which happened to be the same tribe of my hosts. My hosts scrutinized all: who he was happiest to greet on the tarmac, his outfit, his wife and family, and whose brother knew someone's cousins' housekeeper that knew Obama's father's family. When I went to Indonesia in 2009 just after he was elected to his first term, the Indonesian people in many ways claimed him for their own, too. He lived in Jakarta with his mother and Indonesian step-father for several years as a child, and that seemed enough for him to bear Indonesia's national stamp. When I lived in the UK, Obama made a trip to Ireland and news had it that he was visiting the home of his mother's ancestors. Yup, Obama was also Irish. I read recently that a senator called Obama's international policy to be, essentially, the worst of any American president in history (this was in relation to trusting Iran to scale back its nuclear program). I don't know the specifics of his foreign policy, but I can tell you from my anecdotal experience that international travel has been easier with him as my head of state. People of the world generally like him. That's nice when you're an American in their country. I made a trip to Brazil in 2006 and was shunned as a war-mongering American to most locals in Rio to whom I introduced myself. Their scorn for GWB was real.

Obama's addresses to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi and to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia have received some criticism - particularly the latter. Perhaps you have or can catch these speeches for yourselves. I'll avoid any pointed opinions, but overall I was impressed. His ideas were clear and I thought he was brave to express them. His speech to entrepreneurs put business in its place as a solution to many of the world's greatest challenges, particularly poverty. An innovative and entrepreneurial spirit seems rare here in Kenya, at least in its rural areas - where the stock ambition among many men is to progress from bicycle taxi driver, to motorcycle taxi driver, to automobile taxi driver. These simple and routine ambitions aren't for want of intellect, just opportunity and exposure. Women largely remain at home, which is never bad in itself, but they have few to no other options. Perhaps I should give kudos to his speech writers? I thought they were able to promote these ideas without sounding superior, distant or trite. Nevertheless, some people still felt they were exactly that and worse. As Americans, Obama and I are outsiders here, but I'm proud of him for respectfully reaching out and having an honest discussion about issues that are important for all people.

Take care and keep in touch.

Love,

Nicole