Kenya Celebrates!

November 5, 2008 is a day that will long be remembered by the good people of Africa. It’s a day when their hopes and dreams, tied to the ambitions of a certain American politician, came true.

It started early for me. I awoke before first light, threw on some clothes and made my way to the cook house to check the election results. After putting the kettle on to boil for coffee I tried to connect with the Internet and when that was unsuccessful, tuned in to the radio. The BBC was off the air and the VOA had a weak signal so I went back to the Internet. Finally, around at 5 AM (9PM EDT) I was able to connect. The polls weren’t yet closed on the west coast but early results from the rest of the country showed Obama to have a commanding lead. As our US visitors straggled in one by one we each took turns watching the results. Before we walked down to the morning greeting with our colleagues, we knew Obama had won.

The staff was in high spirits and anxious to share their excitement with those of us from the US. The Luo don’t usually hug but on that morning we got hugs along with high fives and back slaps. After our morning song and prayer many of us walked to the village center where we heard they were showing Obama’s victory speech live via satellite. We arrived at the tin structure to find it was already crowded with locals. We joined them inside and watched the last 30-45 minutes of his speech and celebration. People who couldn’t afford the 50 shilling admission were peering in through the small cracks in the building. It was exhilarating to watch in their midst and to share their joy and sense of hope.

That night we joined many of our co-workers at the Sea Lodge, a modest hotel owned by our co-worker Nancy. There was music, sodas, beers and dancing. The Africans were exuberant and continued to celebrate long after we left. The Kenyan President Kibaki announced a national holiday for November 6^th so they stayed until long into the night.

We heard first person accounts of celebrations in the nearby town of Migori where Tanzanians came across the border by the hundreds to join them. Newspaper stories that followed Obama’s win made speculations about what it meant to the people of Africa, particularly to the people of Kenya and wildly unrealistic expectations. Our friend Maggie said the headline of the Kampala (Uganda) newspaper stated “Now that Obama is president, Uganda will be lifted out of poverty”. He has the hopes and dreams of millions of people on his shoulders but for now, there is only joy.