President Obama Launches White House Internship Program

by THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of Media Affairs

President Obama today launched the White House Internship Program for his administration and announced that applications are currently being accepted for the summer of 2009.  Those selected to participate in the program will gain valuable job experience and an inside look at the life of White House staff while building leadership skills.

Lessons Africans can take from the election of President Barack Obama

by Kawuma

The last few months have been historic following the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president. The question that I have heard many people ask is ‘where were you when Obama was sworn in as president?’ I will not be dwelling on answering this question today and In fact Obama is already facing an up-hill battle in the first weeks of his presidency.  However, the question I will ask each one of you is—what lessons do we learn from the election of Barrack Obama as Africans?

As a Ugandan, I have grown up under the presidency of a black man, therefore President Barack Obama’s election as a black man was not something that I had never witnessed. We have in fact had eleven black presidents in Uganda some of whom we have the luxury of wishing they had never become presidents. However, I can not underscore the significance of an African American president in the United States considering the historical and social climate. It was a historic achievement and highlights the notion that America offers opportunities to all who take the initiative and have the will to seize the moment. There some key themes that I take from the election of Barack Obama, which I also believe could be a lesson to our leaders.

Because of President Obama, I am a new Kenyan Man

by Ogullo

In my first week of high school, my physical ed. teacher invited me to try out for the track and field. My long lean frame, which is similar to that of the runners from my country of birth, Kenya, had him fooled. The first training put any notions of stardom to rest. During classes on world history and world geography my classmates looked at me like they were expecting me to tell tales of  The Lion King and yes I indulged them.

Gone are the days that Kenya was synonymous with Maasai herdsmen and Kalenjin runners. When I tell people (Americans and Africans alike) that I am a native of Kenya, they ask me whether I am Luo. Of course I tell everyone I am Luo and more importantly, a not-so-distant relative to Obama. I got into election parties using that line and I almost landed a girlfriend with the phrase. Maybe she wanted a me to help her produce a future president or at least a neurosurgeon …. as the Luos would remark….. But Do I Say?

Thank you President Obama, once the romanticised herdsman and the astute marathoner I am now an eligible intellectual bachelor; accepting applications.

What Obama Owes Africa

Here are some excerpts from an article by Njoroge Wachai as posted on Post Global . It reverts back to the question of how much should Africans rely on outside help to develop the continent? Who really owes Africa: Obama or our leaders? Here are some main points, but do read the whole article here.

Now Mr. President, please don’t get me wrong; we’re not seeking handouts from your administration. We’re smart enough to know America doesn’t dole out freebies. What we want is an Africa that sticks to some of the ideals that you too much championed during the campaigns: democracy; respect for human rights; accountability and transparency from our leaders; trade policies that can create wealth in Africa and put more people to work. We’re tired of visiting Washington with a begging bowl in hand.

Turning The Page With Obama

by Nekessa

So this is the day many of us have been waiting for. There’s not much that can be said that has not been said already! My family in Kenya tells me the energy there is electric. One of them a Kenyan American, who cast her vote for Obama in November, says to me in a chat in the wee hours of my Minnesotan morning,

“Well, I guess if I’m to be anywhere else on the globe to celebrate my vote, might as well be Kenya.”

Nelima has written a post here on her experience so far at the Capital. I just got off the phone with her (its 6am here, so 5am in DC), and she is freezing as they wait to get into the mall.

“I cannot feel my toes. I am so frozen I cannot even text or tweet.”

If you are watching news, CNN/MSNBC/FOX you will see that there are tons of people! (explains why I am not there because I do not do crowds)

So, I would like to invite you to a liveblog/chat that I will be hosting at kenyaImagine at 10amEST (two hours before the swearing in)

Also, you can follow Nelima’s updates on twitter.com/nelima where she will post updates if her fingers warm up.

Later this evening, I will be at Mshale’s Inaugural dinner at Casablanca in Minneapolis. (You can buy tickets at the door for $25) Hope to see you there.

Cheers!

and happy inaugural day!

Alan Keyes wants Obama’s Birth Certificate: Now!

 

Conservative Alan Keyes-who ran against President-elect Barack Obama in the 2004 race for the Illinois Senate

by Nekessa

You probably heard the rumors during the presidential campaign– that President-Elect Barack Obama is not really an American citizen, but was born in Kenya. These rumors have been doing the rounds in the right-wing blogsphere and radio airwaves. Currently, there are three lawsuits challenging Obama’s citizenship. And several online petitions.

Perhaps the most interesting of the lawsuits is the one by Alan Keyes. Keyes filed a lawsuit against Obama, the California secretary of state, and others, to stop California from giving its electoral votes to Obama until a birth certificate is produced proving that he is indeed a natural born citizen.

Free At Last?

This is a short one. Just a quick check.

A friend sent me a nice calendar. Pretty simple really, but still nice. It featured justapositioned images of Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr. each month.  November was simply a picture of Obama with the headline, “President Obama!!!”  December had the words, “Free At Last. Free at Last! Thank God Almighty We’re Free At Last!”

Obama’s Africa Policy Draws Concern

by Nelima

Here’s some food for thought from Africa News Journal. I am not too familiar with Paul Volcker or Lawrence Summers, but I do remember the controversy generated by Summers memo in 1991 because my mom was working for the World bank at the time. Read the memo here. Okay I got some reading to do. Then I will post a comment. Meanwhile those of you who are familiar with these folks please share your insights.

President-elect Obama’s choice for U.S. Treasury Secretary could have far reaching consequences for Africa which is why his two picks for the post are drawing critical comments from some Africa watchers.
 
“One of Barack Obama’s leading advisors has done more damage to Africa, its economies and its people than anyone I can think of in world history, including even Cecil John Rhodes,” observes Patrick Bond, director of the Centre for Civil Society in Durban, South Africa.
 
Paul Volcker, central banker from 1979-1987, said Bond… “increased the cost of African debt precipitously, “delivering the newly independent states into at least 20 years of indentured labor”.

If Obama had ran against Kibaki for office in Kenya he would not have won.

by Nelima

My sister at home tells me that Kenyans at home are thouroughly celebrating Obama’s presidency. More than they have ever celebrated after a Kenyan election. For those of you who haven’t heard, Kenya’s president Mwai Kibaki declared November 6th to be a national holiday (Obama Day) in lieu of Obama’s victory. While I have been against this notion of claiming Obama as Kenyan, I do understand and sympathise with Kenyans who are so disillusioned with their own leaders and are thus hopeful in an Obama presidency.

Some food for thought though. Had Obama really been Kenyan and ran for presidency in Kenya during this past elections, I am pretty sure he too (with all his qualifications) would have been rigged out and Kibaki would still be our president today. So celebrate if you must, but I hope that come next elections we will be brave enough to overcome tribalism as the Americans have overcome racism and elect the better candidate.

The Proof

by Ibe

It’s been some 17 years since I came to this country. Almost immediately after landing I realized for the first time I was black. Not because the lights were brighter (even if they were), not because the mirrors were clearer, not because all of a sudden I developed a RGB-256 sight. Because I looked in the eyes of people I interacted with and saw what they saw covering my body. I was black and lazy, black and poor, black and violent, black and less intelligent, less motivated, less trust worthy, less of everything that could be good in a man, and more of all that should be loathed, feared and suspected.

Over the years, as they got to know me, I thought I saw the cataract peeling from their eyes. But I was not sure. When I moved to Minnesota, I saw smiles, but I was never too sure whether they were nice or just Minnesota.

All this changed one November 4 th evening in 2008.