Oh-BAM-a!
November 25, 2008
I realized that I haven’t given you all the full taste of what it’s like to live in Cameroon with the shining glory of Obama on the horizon coming from the West. If it had a sound, it’d be BAM!
We stayed up all night here in Yaounde to watch the election, eagerly crowded around the TV and 30 of us shouting at 6am when it was announced. Then the streets were filllllled with Cameroonians burbling Obama praise. [Another American experienced severe anti-white sentiments the day after with the feeling of "Uh-huh! Look at how the Africans are going to be on top now!"] Everywhere I went, I’d hear “Obama!” or “Barack!” hissed, shouted, whispered, congratulated, and sang to me. It’s one of the first times in a long time that I feel that rush of pride to be an American [of course, I love being able to wear the clothes that I want, go to art galleries and concerts for free, rent skip-free DVDs, express all my views, etc. But it isn't that same RUSH]
Now, people like to ask me if I voted for Obama. They like to tell me their views on what it means that he’s black or he’s African. In bars, men come selling 5×7 photos of him (they sell out by the time they reach inside the bar). I see great T-shirts, usually sent from America, being proudly sported all over.
It’s profound to me the impact that American politics have on the world. When was the last time that you set your alarm to wake up and watch the election results of ANY country other than your own? When was the last time you were genuinely excited for any country’s politics other than your own? I see this pointing toward the U.S.’s effect on everyone else, but also the permeating American attitude of ethnocentricity. …Moving out of politics, quickly now, before someone (likely a Cameroonian) starts in on a “conversation”/lecture on it.
