Mr. Obama says he chose Ghana to “highlight” its adherence to democratic principles and institutions, ensuring the kind of stability that brings prosperity. “This isn’t just some abstract notion that we’re trying to impose on Africa,” he told AllAfrica.com. He added: “The African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenges. We’re not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance.”

Despite the obvious wincing Obama’s criticism of Kenya may cause, many Kenyans not only seem to understand Mr. Obama’s choice to visit Ghana, but endorse it. Kenyans often follow politics like a sport, so it was not uncommon to hear them in recent weeks describing Mr. Obama’s choice as a savvy one, insulating him from any accusations that he was favoring his father’s country. [ READ MORE ]

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A Kenyan author, Barrack Muluka, has a different view. According to Mr. Muluka: “Kenya doesn’t need Obama to show us how to make Kenya a great country.”

“….all this American talk about democratic styling up is a lot of fudge.” “….What was he(Obama) doing in Egypt the other day?” “Egypt is the headquarters of dictatorship and emergency laws in Africa.” “But Americans thrive on contradictions and double speak, from Guatemala and Honduras and from Chile and Nicaragua, all the way to Zaire.” “They have been associated with some of the worst regimes in history and will remain so for a long time to come. Obama is only the latest custodian of American doublespeak,” says Mr. Muluka

“He is in Ghana to ingratiate himself with the present generation of American African slaves of yesteryear, through visiting their ancestral lands. He already came to Kenya to sanitise his own ancestry ahead of his successful presidential bid.” “He did not want this to be an election issue.” “He has been to dictatorial Egypt to pacify the Islamic world.” “There is nothing to bring him to Kenya, and I doubt that it is important for him to come to Kenya – to bring what?,” adds Muluka. [ READ MORE ]

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[ SPECIAL READ: American Amnesia: We Forget Our Atrocities Almost As Soon as We Commit Them ]
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