KENYA:Obama is seen as their best hope by millions of Africans, writes Rob Crilly
TO AMERICANS he is the 44th president. To the Kenyans crammed into the Urafiki Green Pub in the heart of Kibera, Africa’s biggest slum, he is pretty much the second coming.
“This man is Jesus,” shouted one drinker, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama launched into his inaugural address on a tiny television set in the corner. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?”
Kenya is a country in need of a saviour. Last year 600,000 people were left homeless by the violence that followed disputed presidential elections.
This year some 10 million are at risk of hunger, prompting the government to declare a national emergency last week.
While Obama’s spin doctors have been trying to lower expectations since his election victory, the message clearly has not reached the land of his father.
Millions of people around the country thronged giant TV screens or crammed into bars to watch the inauguration of a man viewed as Kenya’s best hope of a prosperous and happy future.
Kepha Ngito, who runs youth projects in Kibera, said: “This is something all Kenyans can enjoy. It doesn’t matter what tribe you belong to. This is for all of us.”
Thousands gathered in the narrow dirt alleys and dusty clearings of the slum to soak up the moment.
Chants of “Yes we can” drifted through the night air.
All week Kenya has been gearing up for Obama’s moment of glory.
Newspapers have been publishing souvenir editions, countless goats have been slaughtered and a popular local brew, Senator beer, has been renamed President for the occasion.
The Kenya National Theatre even revived its hit show Obama The Musical, which wowed sell-out audiences during the US election last year.
It uses parallels with the Bible story and Obama's own struggles with racism and drugs – documented in his memoir Dreams From My Father - to portray the president as a saviour for downtrodden peoples of the world.
George Orido, the show’s artistic director, said Obama’s story was an inspiration to ordinary Kenyans.
“The main message for my show is that anything is possible if you believe and work hard at it,” he said. “That’s important because I come from a part of the world which has been written off by the rest of the planet.”
Thousands more people gathered yesterday at the tiny village that the Obama family calls home.
The grounds of Kogelo’s school were thronged by Kenyans taking a day off work to party.
Luo dancers from Obama’s tribe, draped in monkey skins put on a traditional show, while onlooker waved American flags.
Here the benefits of the Obama presidency are already being felt. The government moved quickly after his November victory to bring modern amenities to the tiny homestead that had been left behind by the 21st century.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us, because a lot of investment will come,” said 20-year-old Faith Achieng.
“It’s already thanks to him we have electricity and water.”