Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Obama Effect in Congo

An extraordinary slice-of-life moment here in Goma...

Sitting in the cafe of my hotel, working on the computer, I notice a small group of about 10 young men and women, gathered for a late lunch, laughing, talking animatedly.

I then hear the voice of Barack Obama. I look over and the group is gathered around a computer. They're all watching Obama's presidential acceptance speech - I suppose on YouTube.
Two of the women are reciting his words... along with him... by heart. Incredible!

The women are commenting in French (the second language of Congo) how much they love Michelle... and Sasha... and Malia. They're all absolutely enraptured by Obama's speech - two months after he delivered it.

I've had numerous conversations with people here and in Nairobi over the past week about Barack Obama. I knew that many in Africa were emotionally invested in him and his success -but there's nothing like seeing it first-hand.

2 comments:

Shin said...

Finally... a reason to be proud of being American. And these folks who aren't even American are proud of him!

Stephanie said...

wow, very cool! thanks for sharing.