Out of Africa

A lot of Africans are in support of Barack Obama, and I don’t doubt one of the factors is because he’s half-Kenyan. It’s what intrigued me about him. I loved how he has taken an invested interest in Africa and has not sought to distance himself from the continent, which usually garners negative attention from the rest of the world.

Here’s an editorial piece, or really excerpts from a speech Obama gave in Nairobi, about the issues facing his fatherland. He brings to surface the historical circumstances that count against Kenya (an argument I often make about all African countries and I feel many people discount), but he also holds the Kenyan government to some level of responsibility for the lack of progress (which is just as important - while the past may count against you, one must still be held accountable for the choices you make as one moves forward.) 

It’s the choices of the government, Obama says, that will break the despairing downward cycle African countries have found themselves in.

An accountable, transparent government can break this cycle. When people are judged by merit, not connections, then the best and brightest can lead the country, people will work hard, and the entire economy will grow - everyone will benefit and more resources will be available for all, not just select groups.  - Barack Obama

This speech given by Maina Kiai, Chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, in Ukraine earlier this week. On the same lines as Obama, he analyzes what “went wrong” in Kenya in light of their December 2007 elections. For Kiai, it comes down to the fact that Kenya lacks real democracy:

Clearly one of the most important lessons is that we need to look beyond the forms and façades of democracy to the substance of it. Democracy must mean more than having legislatures that sit and simply endorse the wishes of the Executive, or when they differ, it is to perpetuate their personal interests. It must mean more than having judges sitting all decked up on a raised bench but afraid to make decisions that upset the Executive. And it must mean more than holding periodic elections.

 

A wise man once said that democracy is more about what happens between elections than elections themselves. And on this cardinal principle, Kenya—and many other countries such as Zimbabwe–falls flat. Also failing are the international support programs that look at elections as an event, rather than a process.

When I lived in Nigeria, we mostly watched and talked about foreign films. Even the last time I visited, family and friends would pull out bootleg copies of recent American releases I hadn’t even seen. The foriegn film consumes the film/movie industry in Nigeria - as far as locals are concerned, local films just don’t meet the same standards.

I also had never been to a movie theatre in any of the 5+ years I lived in Nigeira. I don’t even remember seeing one anywhere in the town my family lived in. And I know none of my friends went “to the movies” for fun. Any films we watched were in the confinement of our homes.

If the film was Nigerian, it was far from big-screen quality and was a generally a poorly-produced straight-to-video movie. (Which I personally find hilarious, if overdramatic and overly drawn out).

A story I found on allafrica.com looks into why there is little room for African films on the continent.

However, African films have been getting some spotlight here in the United States. There’s a film festival in New York highlighting 40 films throughout African and the African Diaspora.

And apparently, there is a budding film industry in Africa that just need the attention and market to keep it thriving. There’s an African Academy Awards and film festivals in countries like Rwanda.

Outside of Africa, others also seem to think it is important for Africa to build its film industry. A group of Canadians started a film school in Burundi last year. The idea was to tell the stories of this country, and let its people do the telling.

I think that is probably the most important element - letting Africans tell their own stories. It’s a good way to to counter a lot of the prevalent images and myths about Africa. And help to build awareness and a better understanding of Africa’s past and present.

However, I do praise and appreciate the recent American films on Africa - Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda, The Last King of Scotland - that already do these things.

With apperances from Miley Cyrus (who actually performs twice — as herself and not as Hannah Montana), Fergie, Annie Lennox, Idol Carrie Underwood, and many more celebrities, American Idol had their celebrity concert/fundraiser “Idol Gives Back” tonight.

While last year’s money was more or less evenly distributed between charities working in Africa and those working in the United States, this year more of the money will go to domestic charities.

I watched last year as well, and must say that the segments that highlight the charities supported through the program have improved. Last year there was this whole “Save Africa” generalization thing going on. There was very little mention of what countries or cities they were visiting, it was just all “Africa.” It drove me crazy. While awareness on issues of poverty and disease in Africa is really important, I feel people need to know where these disparities are taking place on an individual level. There are 53 countires in Africa (54 if you count Western Sahara) and all of them are facing different difficulties and need aid in different capacities. Before we go about “saving lives in Africa,” Americans need to stop the generalization.

One thing that didn’t improve, however, is how sensationalized (or maybe overdramatic is the better word) the Africa story segments were in comparison to the American ones.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think a lot of Diasporic Africans agree. There needs to be better dissemination of news about Africa. Even within all these turmoils there is development and emergence. And while the money raised through “Idol Gives Back” can aid that development and emergence, I feel it made more of a spectacle of the continent. After all, the American segements told personal stories and showed the progress being made (by highlighting the benefiting organizations) to eradicate the issues - they didn’t just ask for help to buy mosquito nets and AIDS medication.

Not all of them were bad. The segment by Alicia Keys (full video can be viewed for free on the American Idol website) was really good, and the one by Idol Chris Daughtry and his band (reminisent of Carrie Underwood’s “I’ll Stand By You” video from last year). The worst ones? Any segment narrated by Ryan Seacrest.

Again, maybe I’m being overly sensitive. But the negative portrayals of the continent is a major concern. There was recently an Africa Media Summit and one of my favorite books (which really helped me focus my professional goals), New News Out of Africa, addresses the same thing.

But when it comes down to it, “Idol Gives Back” is a good thing. I can just imagine how many Americans tuned in and gave. Even more, I wonder how many Africans in America gave. Between remittances and things like this, little differences can be made.

If you missed it, you can download video footage and/or the music performed on iTunes. By doing so, you’ll be giving to a great cause since all the proceeds add to the fundraising effort.

Or check out www.one.org.

Even though it’s more or less certain that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won Zimbabwe’s general elections, the results are of course under dispute. No results have been officially released, so there’s no way to know for sure. But it’s pretty much agreed that Robert Mugabe is among the worst leaders in the world. The country is in political limbo and in attempt to understand the situation better I found an exclusive story in “The Independent” about Mugabe, suggesting that his relationship with his wife inspired him to be the monster he is today.

“New documents released under the Freedom of Information Act at the National Archives in London reveal for the first time the strength of the bond between the Rhodesian freedom-fighter and his young Ghanaian bride, as Mugabe emerged as a political force in Africa during the 1960s. … Mugabe watchers will now surely wonder whether this could have been the moment that finally set the Zimbabwean rebel against his former colonial rulers.”

I’m not sure when the Freedom of Information Act was filed, but I do find it rather interested that the British are interested in painting Mugabe as a sympathetic figure as he may be finally leaving office.

In Related News:

Here’s an African perspective on the elections and Mugabe as a leader. And one about how new leadership can give Zimbabwe the turn around it needs.

It’s amazing how disconnected we can be from our roots once we step away from them. In the process of immigration, and joining the African Diaspora, it’s like we hold on to the past but forget about having an African present and/or future. There’s suddenly this disconnect between who I am in this new country and who I was (and would have been) in my home country.

I don’t think Africans in the Diaspora no longer care about Africa. Far from it. I’d say most remain passionate about their home countries and still attempt to stay abreast with what takes place there. But I think it’s a task that becomes rather difficult.

For one, here in America, any media coverage of the continent is usually one of the three D’s - death, destruction and despair. There’s just too much Afro-pessimism outside of the African continent. And some of the pessimism is what Africans carry with them. There’s a loss of hope, a loss of knowledge, a loss of understanding that could one day make Africa a better place. So many come and remember the lives they lived in the 80s, forgetting that things change and we are now in 2008.

Also, you really just need the right tools. The right places to go and the best publications to read.

There’s just this huge disconnect. A gap that needs to be bridged.

You could say I’m a different case than the average African immigrant. Mainly because I’m not an immigrant. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas. And have primarily lived in the United States. However, I am part of the African Diaspora. And I did live in Nigeria for my prime “growing up” years. And without those years, I’m not sure I’d have the passion for the African continent I have now.

I want to bridge the disconnect I feel. The disconnect I see in my fellow Africans in this country. I want to create a reconnection — to the politics, the economy, the social scene, the progression. I’ve asked my friends about this, and the thing we all want to know more about is the good happening in Africa. The good happening with Africans, on the continent or within the Diaspora. Our big questions are: How is the African community doing? And how can I be a part of the change for a better Africa?

As Diasporic Africans, we need to be aware of the good and the bad taking place. Stay abreast with what’s happening and what our fellow continent-men are doing to edify their lives and give Africa new life.

Whether we do this through reading various blogs on Africa like this one, or reading news sites like All Africa or the BBC, we need to stay informed. There are blogs on adoption, business, food (you know how important that is!), music … sites dedicated to technology, countries … you name it, you can find it.

Here’s another blog that I really like and hope to possible “compete” within content and relevancy.  

As I find really good site, I’ll make sure to add them to my blog roll. For now … I guess you can say my mission is try and bridge the gap for Africans in the Diaspora as best as I can.

We’ll see how I do, yeah?

As the daughter of African immigrants,  I grew up in an African community in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas, so I’m always interested in African community news and issues. 

I’ve become really interested in immigration issues world-wide. Here, in the United States, I think most people think of immigrants as an issue important to Hispanics, but immigration is just as important to the 1 million African immigrants. 

There are a lot of African refugees, either from various civil wars or even with crisises like in Sudan. Even without refugee situations, Africans tend to immigrant to other countries to take advantage of better opportunites. However, some of the major issues facing African immigrants inclue changes and restrictions in immigration law and procedures. A lot of Africans are getting deported, and others are dying while trying to enter European countires, like Spain, illegally.

There is also the issue of “the brain drain” — while many Africans send remittances back home, some feel the biggest aid they can give to their countries is by returning and using their education to improve often desolate conditions and situations on the continent. Others think it’s more important to make an impact in  whatever country they live.

 Each immigrant journey is different. Hopefully through this blog I’ll get to explore a few facets of the African immigrant journey.