Son of soil makes senatorial return

WASHINGTON – When US Senator Barack Obama travels to Africa next month for a five-nation, 15-day tour, he will have one credential no other US senator can claim: He is the son of an African.

Twice before, that connection has led Obama to visit Africa and learn more about his late father, a Kenyan goat herder who became a Harvard-educated economist for his own nation’s government. This trip is guaranteed to be different now that Obama has become a political celebrity in the United States and a hero in parts of Africa.”As the only African-American in the US Senate, there is obviously some symbolic power to my visit,” Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.Illinois’ junior senator said he intends to use that status to spotlight a continent few Americans know much about.”What a trip like this does is it allows me to really target a wide range of issues that come up on the international stage and help Americans appreciate how much our fates are linked with the African continent,” Obama said.He plans to visit not only Kenya but also South Africa, Congo, Djibouti and Sudan.He wants to learn more about AIDS, avian flu and other diseases, the genocide in Darfur, the prospects for Africa becoming a haven for terrorists, and the impact of climate change – and what can be done about them all.Obama also plans to talk about the responsibility of Africans to take action against “a lack of basic rule of law and accountability that has hampered the ability of countries with enormous natural resources”.”Ultimately, a new generation of Africans have to recognise the international community, the international relief organisations or the United States can’t help Africa if its own leaders are undermining the possibilities of progress,” Obama said.He said his goal is not simply to dwell on problems but to talk about solutions, too.”These days, the challenges Africa faces are well documented.The opportunities are less known,” he said.”When I visit an AIDS clinic what I am trying to learn is not whether AIDS is devastating in a country like Kenya.There is no denying that.What I hope to learn in talking to a nurse or a mother or talking to a doctor is what programmes are working to prevent AIDS, to treat AIDS.”Improved international trade would also help Africans escape poverty.”Unfortunately, we have a range of trade barriers that inhibit countries in Africa to export.”Obama cautions that good government is not just about having elections.”Good government is not getting shaken down by a bureaucrat if you want to start a business, not being pulled over by police to pay a bribe, being able to get a business license in a few days instead of a few years,” he said.- Nampa-APThis trip is guaranteed to be different now that Obama has become a political celebrity in the United States and a hero in parts of Africa.”As the only African-American in the US Senate, there is obviously some symbolic power to my visit,” Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.Illinois’ junior senator said he intends to use that status to spotlight a continent few Americans know much about.”What a trip like this does is it allows me to really target a wide range of issues that come up on the international stage and help Americans appreciate how much our fates are linked with the African continent,” Obama said.He plans to visit not only Kenya but also South Africa, Congo, Djibouti and Sudan.He wants to learn more about AIDS, avian flu and other diseases, the genocide in Darfur, the prospects for Africa becoming a haven for terrorists, and the impact of climate change – and what can be done about them all.Obama also plans to talk about the responsibility of Africans to take action against “a lack of basic rule of law and accountability that has hampered the ability of countries with enormous natural resources”.”Ultimately, a new generation of Africans have to recognise the international community, the international relief organisations or the United States can’t help Africa if its own leaders are undermining the possibilities of progress,” Obama said.He said his goal is not simply to dwell on problems but to talk about solutions, too.”These days, the challenges Africa faces are well documented.The opportunities are less known,” he said.”When I visit an AIDS clinic what I am trying to learn is not whether AIDS is devastating in a country like Kenya.There is no denying that.What I hope to learn in talking to a nurse or a mother or talking to a doctor is what programmes are working to prevent AIDS, to treat AIDS.”Improved international trade would also help Africans escape poverty.”Unfortunately, we have a range of trade barriers that inhibit countries in Africa to export.”Obama cautions that good government is not just about having elections.”Good government is not getting shaken down by a bureaucrat if you want to start a business, not being pulled over by police to pay a bribe, being able to get a business license in a few days instead of a few years,” he said.- Nampa-AP