Crossing the chasm: The pride of African shepherd’s exuberance

by AfroAmerica Network on December 15, 2008

Washington, D.C.: “Crossing the chasm: The pride of African shepherd’s exuberance.”
AfroAmerica Network. Baltimore, December 26, 2008.

On September 1, 2004, AfroAmerica Newtrok editors wrote the article titled “Baraka Obama, from goat shepherd to US Congress: “ I will make you the shepherd of man””. Little did they know that the prophesy will become true. A descendent of African herdsmen and a White woman ahead of her time, overcame herculean odds and challenges, and is about to lead the world through the most tumultuous times.

It happened: what times it did? and how? A drawn out election, the adversity that came from being a Black Man in America, the limited connections and money. He beat all odds and, embracing the positive things that came out of the challenges, he embodies the greatness of America and the hope of people around the world.

The people in anticipation include the people of Europe avid for USA perennial role model, the African nations crumbling under the weight of brutal dictators, the women and children preyed upon by warlords and mass murderers. The expectations from a world hungry for a leader, constitute an atlas at the shoulder of a person, not long ago an unknown audacious dreamer, now an intrepid groundbreaker.

Africa in particular will be a test for President Obama. USA has always had an unambiguous history with Africa. On the one side, Africans have looked up to USA for help, whether financial, humanitarian, political, or economical. They have viewed USA as a system where dreams can be made, liberty can be guaranteed, and aspirations can be attained. USA has helped African people to fight or get rid of brutal dictatorships and war criminals in Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, etc. USA has supported progressive regimes and peace processes in Angola, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Burundi, South Africa.On the other side, USA supported, willingly or unwillingly, some of the most brutal dictators in Africa, most of the times to end up regretting it after the harm was done, societies were destroyed, and nations were almost annihilated.

Africans will be watching, gauging the action , and finally judging President Obama and his new administration. An exceptional test will be how President Obama handles the case of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Will President Obama continue the policy of supporting General Kagame of Rwanda and the 40 people around him who form the bloody junta ruling Rwanda, knowing that these people are accused of war crimes, and targeted by international arrest warrants from Spain and French terrorist judges?
Will President Obama support the dictatorship in Rwanda, a the risk of repeating the tragic experience of Mobutu Sese Seko, the South African apartheid, or Savimbi?
Will President Obama support dialogue among opposing factions in Rwanda, and put an end to the long running ethnic conflict of 18 years?
Will he unequivocally support the legitimate government of the DRC, formed after genuine peace negotiation, inter-congolese dialogue, and democratic elections?

If President Obama and his administration pass that test, he undoubtedly will have shown than the greatest country in the world, USA, can provide great solutions to great problems.