Wole Soyinka on Obama's choice

An excellent piece on The Root by the great Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka about President Obama’s recent trip to Ghana…

Yes you can!

President Barack Obama said all the right things in his speech to the Ghanaian parliament in Accra today. He started by making it clear that he sees the nations of Africa as fundamental members of the global community and not as a bunch of basket cases. Then he launched into the notion of “mutual responsibility” and this is where he was at his most brilliant.

Africa’s future is up to Africans, Obama said, and here is wonderful excerpt:

It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for [Africa’s problems] on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father’s life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.

Of course, we also know that is not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or the need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana’s economy has shown impressive rates of growth.

This progress may lack the drama of the 20th century’s liberation struggles, but make no mistake: it will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of another nation, it is even more important to build one’s own.

So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana - and for Africa - as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future. Instead, it will be you - the men and women in Ghana’s Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father’s generation never found.

To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.

As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I have pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa’s interest and America’s. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by - it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.

This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership.

Well said Mr. President.  Let’s hope that it’s more than just rhetoric.

Why Ghana?

Here’s an interesting news analysis piece in the New York Times about why President Obama chose to visit Ghana for his first official visit to the African continent.  Bottom line: his choices were very limited.

Obama in Ghana...

Check out this commentary piece in the Khaleej Times, a leading English-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates.