Barack Obama Could Not Have Won in Africa

While most observers have been taken in by how the rest of the world are still celebrating Barack Obama's victory, others are using his victory to ask hard questions about racism in Europe and now democracy in Africa, the continent of his father.

In a piece that is making the rounds on the internet, Mozambican novelist Mia Couto gets into six reasons why it unlikely why Obama could pull off his electoral victory in an African country:

1. If Obama were African, his opponent (any of Africa's George Bushes) would find a way to change the constitution to prolong his mandate beyond the expected term. And our Obama would have to wait a couple more years to run again. The wait could be long, if we take into account the permanence of a single president in power in Africa. Some 41 years in Gabon, 39 in Libya, 28 in Zimbabwe, 28 in Equatorial Guinea, 28 in Angola, 27 in Egypt, 26 in Cameroon. And so on, running through as many as 15 presidents on the continent in office for more than 20 consecutive years. Mugabe will celebrate his 90th birthday when the latest mandate which he imposed in defiance of the popular verdict runs out.

2. If Obama were African, it is probable that, being a candidate of the opposition party, he would have the opportunity to campaign. They would threat him, for example, as in Zimbabwe or in Cameroon: he would be physically attacked, arrested again and again, have his passport withdrawn. The Bushs of Africa do not tolerate opponents, do not tolerate democracy.

3. If Obama were African, he wouldn't even be eligible in many countries because the elites in power invented restrictive laws that close the doors of the presidency to children of foreigners and descendants of immigrants. The Zambian nationalist Kenneth Kaunda is being questioned, in his own country, as a son of Malawians. They conveniently "discovered" that the man who led Zambia to independence and ruled for more than 25 years was, after all, a Malawian, and therefore had governed "illegally" for all this time. Arrested for alleged coup intentions, our Kenneth Kaunda (who gave his name to one of the most prominent avenues of Maputo) was banned from engaging in politics, thus freeing the regime of an opponent.

4. Let us be clear: Obama is black in the United States. In Africa he is mulatto. If Obama were African, he would see his race used against him. Not that skin color is really important for people who want to see leaders that are competent and and work seriously. But the predatory elites would campaign against someone who they would designate as "not an authentic African.". The same black brother who is hailed today as the new American president would be humiliated at home as being representative of "the others", those of another race, another flag (or perhaps no flag at all)..

5. If he were African, our "brother" would have to give an account to moralists when he thought of including thanks in his speech for support from gays. A mortal sin for advocates of the so-called "pure African." For these moralists - so often in power, or with the powerful - homosexuality is an unacceptable defect that is external to Africa and to Africans.

6. If he should win an election, Obama would probably have to sit at the negotiation table and share power with the loser, in a degrading negotiating process that in some African countries allows the loser to renegotiate that which seems sacred - the will of the people expressed in the votes. At this point, Barack Obama would be sitting at a table with a Bush in endless rounds negotiating with African mediators who would tell us to be content with crumbs from those electoral processes that do not satisfy the dictators.

Read the whole piece here in Portuguese and here in English translation (scroll down).

Comments

[Sonyane]

Dear oh dear! So what conclusions can we make about Zambia and Zambians? It is that they are bigots right? it would be easy for someone to make such a conclusion by reading Jacob's rant. First, you are wrong about Kaunda's parentage. It was only his father who was from Nyasaland. The mother was Northern Rhodesian born. It is too much of a stretch to even suggest that because of the stupid events of 1996; Barack Obama wouldnt be elected President in Zambia. Sean, since you are such an expert on who Africans would vote and wouldnt vote for; it is a bit suprising that a month before Barack was voted into the White house .....the bigoted Zambians had voted in their 4th post independence president-Rupiah Banda. Guess what Sean? He was born in Southern Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe). In Southern Africa mixed race persons are called coloureds and not Mulatto. And mind you Sean in Zambia there is no equivalent name in the various African languages for so called people of mixed race, mulatto or coloureds. Mixed race people have served in various capacities in Zambian society. I am yet to hear about them being discriminated against. If one of them were to run for the Presidency I doubt whether 'race' would be an issue. After all the white population is only 1.5% of the total and we've had whites being elected to parliament.

[thelance]

I take issue with your blanket view of Africa, and think that some of your assertions are down right faults. If you look to the left of Zimbabwe on the map there is a country called Botswana. At its head is Ian Khama, Mugabe's biggest opponent in the region. Like Obama, Khama is a true democrat, like Obama his mother was white. Yes, he was helped by the fact that his father was the first leader of a democratic Botswana. But every President of Botswana stepped down from office and had no history of clamoring for power. Though Botswana is in the minority of functioning democracies in Africa it is not alone South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique all have histories of leaders stepping down from power.

[TiredoftheMSM]

You could not have wrote this article in Africa.

[TRYKER]

HuffPost's Pick

If Obama makes human rights a big part of his policies and diplomacy around the world and at home, some of the wrongs might get a start at being righted -- at least brought to light.
He would have to re-negotiate NAFTA and other trade agreements with human rights considered anew, and have to explore our own human rights abuses in our PRISON INDUSTRIAL Corps. as well as other entities.
He will be a light to guide the way...or a fizzle if he keeps too many of the programs and policies that stifle human rights and progress.