Day before the Election

Well, today is Tuesday November 4th, the day before the U.S. presidential election. Since I've been in Kenya I've seen a lot of support for Barack Obama. Some matatus (small buses) even display large pictures of Obama on the sides and backs of the vehicle. Coming to Kisumu recently, I've seen a whole new level of Obama-support. Barack Obama has familial connections to the Luo ethnic group of western Kenya. Kisumu has a large Luo population so everyone here is absolutely obsessed with Obama. Everytime I walk down the street people yell "Obama!" It was a somewhat welcomed change from the usual call of "mzungu!" (white person). Every single person I encounter asks me if I've voted for Obama. When they find out I'm from Illinois or Chicago they often get even more excited. Kenyans often seem so surprised that anyone would support John McCain. The political knowledge of Kenyans varies greatly. Some people are very informed about American politics and have made informed decisions as to why they support a certain candidate. In most cases, it seems that people like Obama simply because he's "Kenyan." One person asked me yesterday how Americans feel about Obama since he's not "ours." I asked him to clarify his question and he voiced the same opinion that I've heard since I've arrived in Kenya - that Obama is more Kenyan than American.

Many people are very excited about the U.S. election and have a whole spectrum of opinions about what will happen as a result. One of the MPs (members of Parliament) was quoted as saying that he wanted to expand the Kisumu airport to accomdate Air Force One as soon as possible. Some people speculate (somewhat jokingly) that the dollar will be the new currency of Nyanza Province as of next week. Others are convinced that if Obama becomes president, it will be much easier for Kenyans to get visas to the U.S. There is already a Barack Obama Primary School near his "home village" where he has extended family. Foreign journalists have swarmed the small village for weeks now. I've heard rumors that the village is now charging $100 US in order to enter the village.

Obama-Fever is quite prevalent in my internship organization. The organization's Land Rover has an Obama bumper sticker. The Director's car has an Obama bumper sticker on the back AND front (just in case anyone had any question which candidate he's supporting). Almost every person at work proudly wears an Obama button as well.

Every night for the last several weeks, there has been a special segment on the news called "America Votes 2008" featuring Kenyan reporters stationed all over key battleground states in America. The segment usually lasts about 10 minutes and even includes a "Fact File" to teach people about how the American electoral system works (electoral college, etc). On Sunday night they showed the stores in downtown Kisumu that are completely dedicated to Obama. These stores sell all kinds of buttons, t-shirts, framed pictures, and even a DVD about the life of Barack Obama.

Today I ran some errands around town and as we drove people kept running up to our vehicle with today's newspaper that featured a full-page colored picture of Obama with his hand over his heart. Obama really is the Son of Kenya in the eyes of many people here. One of the first weeks I was in Nairobi, I read an article in the newspaper in the young generation's section. The newspaper asked primary school children to write about what they thought would happen if Barack Obama was elected president. One girl wrote that Barack Obama will buy computers for every school in Kenya and help all of the poor people living in the slums.

We will find out the results of the election early Wednesday morning (Kenya is now 9 hours ahead of Central Time in the U.S.). Regardless of the outcome, I am sure that there will be people in the streets; it's only a matter of whether they are protesting or celebrating. In light of the post-election violence just 9 months ago, I think all of us American students in Kisumu are at least somewhat concerned about how people will react to the election results. The repercussions of the post-election violence are still very much present. I work for OGRA Foundation which lost its main building as a result of arson during the post-election violence. At church this Sunday, they made an announcement asking anyone who was sexually abused during the post-election violence to please go to the town hall this week because their is a government commission investigating the abuses during the violence. You just know that this issue must be prevalent in this community if it's included in the general announcments at the end of church!

It will be interesting to see in the coming months how the outcome of the election will be interpreted here in Kenya. If Obama wins will people be disappointed if their lives here in Kenya are not significantly changed? Will they feel left down or forgotten by their national hero?