11.05.2008

Hope... the message is hope and the call is for us all to believe

#058
I cannot say I was a supporter of his candidacy for that would be a lie. Till the call came in at about 11pm tonight I remained skeptical and in spite of the facts to the contrary, I was quite pessimistic about President Obama's chances. Well he has become the new President-elect of these United States of America and I couldn't be happier and prouder for him. From the cold streets of Springfield, Illinois he announced and began spreading his message of hope and change. This message reverberated from the South side of Chicago to the shores of Florida and around the world; a message which carried the belief of a government for the people by the people and with the people. The message rung true with the Americans and currently they await a new era in government. An era devoid of the malfeasance that has become synonymous with the outgoing administration. An era in which the youths played an active role in electing their leaders and will continue to play one in guiding his policies. An era of Change, Yes Change Has Come To America.
As the joy of witnessing this moment courses through my veins, I cannot help but wonder if this same hope, belief and conviction can bring change to our beloved motherland Africa. We so far have been a continent divided by greed, corruption and lack of respect for one another. Some have said it took America and other great western nations over 200 years to become the developed nations that we see standing today. Others, remind us constantly that Rome was never built in a day. Nevertheless, as a student of history it is my firm belief that traditions must change and we with them. It cannot and should not take us 200 years to make our homeland Africa a beacon of 21st century civilization and development. A good friend of mine once remarked: "Change is always revolutionary and never evolutionary" (1998). We have had the template for the successful and efficient running of governments available to us from the time of the Romans. We are aware of the reasons governments fail, and the tricks that lead to success. We have in President Barack Obama, a leader we can emulate whose message of Change and Hope, we should try to recreate. Looking ahead 50 years into the future, what questions as Africans shall we be asking ourselves? The same old ones our parents asked 50 years earlier? Shall we complain of our governments being tied down by neo-colonialism? Or shall we boast of industry, rule of law and control of our own destiny? President Obama made his choice, believed in it and today he leads the walk in America. Today and every day after, I ask us as Africans to make that choice for the better, to seek nothing but perfection, and to bring that message of Hope and Change to our motherland. The challenge is afoot, the race has begun and the clock is ticking on the next 50 years of Hope and Change in Africa. Thanks to Barack Obama we believe again and in his own words "Yes We Can".

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

word...well said

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