Where Obama's presidency falls in African time...

When Barack Hussein Obama, the son of an African immigrant father and an white American woman, became "number 44", something momentous happened in the realm of time. Such a little gesture, yet such an enormous accomplishment. I have no doubt that his ascendancy to the throne was nothing short of a miracle. Why because despite the color of his skin, the energy he echoed in to the world was responded to by the world in kind. In thinking of Barack Obama's presidency, I think of the last second of the last minute of the last hour of the last day of the last week of the last month of the last year of the century which ushers us into another second, minute, hour, year, century. The arms of the clock that is human existence has struck a pivotal hour and have ushered us into a new day. The wave of positive energy emitted will affect almost every black person in the world and in the wake of Africa's brewing economic and political revolution, this wave will strike a chord with the African diasporic intelligentsia.

As a black man, an immigrant and an African, I had never quite imagined this moment, perhaps the idea floated in my memory but its materialization ....in my day, never dawned on me. The significance of the day continues to baffle me as I try to belittle every new dimension of significance that his ascension has for me, my family and my people. Like the majority of people, I only learned of Obama as he became the junior senator of Illinois. Even then, I thought he became popular because he was the first black U.S. senator (erm...I have educated myself since that time.) Needless to say that his rise was nothing short of a metamorphic ascendance, something reminiscent of a biblical story and yet as we study his life, we realise that he IS made of the stuff of U.S. presidents and more, and I thank God for placing this spirit in the envelop of a black man's experience in the U.S (God took extra time molding this man). Indeed, Barack Obama has shattered the highest ceiling in American politics and with it, he has paved a way for many others, minorities whether Asians, blacks or women, to follow. As a black man who barely knew his father, he has become a role model for so many young African-American men who will choose to embrace him. By marrying a dark-skinned black woman, he has affirmed all dark-skinned black women who feel marginalized by Black men because of their complexion(thinking about it...he may have just single handedly dealt a blow to the skin bleaching industry!)

The African in me however sees this as just another synergistic step in the struggle for Africa to reclaim its rightful place in history. Barack Obama is an American president first and, while I do not anticipate him bending backward to to pull Africans out of all their problems, I do see him welcoming us to a higher plain of prosperity provided we struggle incessantly to get to the top of the mountain...and that me must make significant progress toward in the next four, mm no...8 years ;-). On the clock that marks the progress of mankind, and in particular the Black African, we are on the verge of momentous achievements that will emanate from the African continent. Call it fate, call it garbage....I call it the theory of the 3rd generation (...ask for an explanation). You see Africa has struggled, its sons and daughters left its shores and, those among them still burning to help her are literally on the verge of returning. However it will take another aligning of the clock arms, or stars if you will...to make this happen. Indeed, Marcus Garvey predicted the rising of a prince from Africa to lead it against the West and yes, we are in the third generation since Marcus Garvey so this generation of Africans is waiting for a similar Prince to rise from Africa and beckon its children come home. This part of the story is already written I am convinced, what isn't written is the time....

In a sense Barack Obama embodies the beginning of the redemption of the Black Africa. With Africa producing Gold, diamonds, semi-conductor raw materials, sweet crude oil (the best grade out there) and many more resources including bio-fuels raw materials for which it will become a competent supplier, can you only begin to imagine what this would mean if indeed these resources came under the control and jurisdiction of one unified African government? Africa will become that and has the potential to become the most powerful singular nation on earth when it unites. The question again is when, when will this happen....Till a few days ago, I was convinced I wouldn't see it happen, but something recently happened, challenging me to think otherwise...

Thanks for reading and please stay tuned as a try to organize my chaotic thoughts on Africa and its position in time and int he world via this blog.

Selasi

Comments welcome.