Obamamania in Kenya

bigirl

anti- voluntary ignorance
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Children born recently in the ghettos are named after him. Driving through the crazy traffic of Nairobi, the name Obama on car stickers, or spray-painted graffiti-style on cars, has become more common than motor insurance stickers. A Kenyan beer that went by the name ‘Senator’ is now called ‘Senator Obama’. Obama is the hottest thing in Kenya! You'd have to be blind and deaf to miss Obamamania on Nairobi's streets. His voice from speakers, his name in music, his face absolutely everywhere.
Obama is so famous in Kenya that he has been accepted as a Kenyan politician. It doesn't mater that he lives thousands of miles away, on a different continent, he's had the overwhelming support of Kenyans since his 2006 visit to this country. Since then, not a day goes by without his face on TV, in newspapers and of course on the streets.

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Kenya's son
More than 10-hours drive from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is a place called Siaya district. Obama's father came from this remote area in South-West Kenya. He married a woman called Anna Dunham from Kansas and not long after, Obama was born. Two years later, the couple divorced and Barrack Obama grew up with the mother.

Pride, respect and a business opportunity
Quite honestly, it was not until January 4th 2005, after Obama become the senator of Illinois that the majority of Kenyans got to know of him. Now, with the man aiming for the top job, he is on every Kenyan’s lips. We feel related to the man and many have vowed to support him in every way possible. This support finds its expression in Obamamania, a state of being obsessed with Obama. T-shirts with a print of Obama's face are the hottest fashion items, and businesses have popped up to feed the demand.

But the bond isn't due solely to his roots, it's also tied to the respect he has earned for his eloquence, and his powerful and passionate ‘Martin Luther-King-like’ delivery. This fills people with pride, and is reason enough for one young man from Nairobi's streets to launch a campaign to convince everyone to own a copy of every speech Obama makes. Although piracy is a crime, he downloads each of Obama's major speeches, which he burns to a VCD and sells for $2 USD.

It's the day after the first public debate between Obama and McCain, and I find the young man in a confused state. The internet connection is down, and he needs desperately to download the debate. As I ask questions about how business is going, people stream in, one after another, with the same question, "Do you have last nights debate?" "No, come back later", he says, his expression becoming more pained and desperate; he is losing money. And suddenly, a brainwave, "But I have his Denver speech!" "Yes! That one! That one is ok. Give me!", says the client.

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As the illegal transaction takes place, I can’t help but wonder if the buyer can actually point out Denver on a map. No matter. Not long after, another one steps in. As a Kenyan, you've got to have something about Obama in your collection, one of his books, a VCD, a t-shirt, somethng. It’s the in thing! The t-shirts go for around $7 USD while some VCDs can go for up to $4 USD.

Word on the street is Barrack Obama should become part of the school curriculum, so that children can learn about the man who officially put Kenya on the map.

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http://www.ghettoradio.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=387&Itemid=1
 
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