it's interesting. i had a somewhat negative reaction to obama's ghana speech as well. ( http://zeleza.com/blogging/u-s-affairs/obama-ghana-return-native-son ). recently, tho, i've had a chance to talk to a couple journalist friends in uganda who were deeply appreciative of obama's rendering. both of these journalists have been arrested by the museveni regime for criticizing their government's illiberal policies. both see obama's speech as saying publicly what most africans say in private. there's pleasure in seeing museveni quiver a bit, knowing that their prez won't have the facade of american support, diplomatic cover, that M7 once had under clinton or bush, say. (though both men know that, realistically, little will change in terms of policy in the next few years, for a variety of reasons... several elections in the great lakes region in 2011, the US need for continued AU (read: ugandan) troops in somalia, etc .)
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it's interesting. i had a somewhat negative reaction to obama's ghana speech as well. ( http://zeleza.com/blogging/u-s-affairs/obama-ghana-return-native-son ). recently, tho, i've had a chance to talk to a couple journalist friends in uganda who were deeply appreciative of obama's rendering. both of these journalists have been arrested by the museveni regime for criticizing their government's illiberal policies. both see obama's speech as saying publicly what most africans say in private. there's pleasure in seeing museveni quiver a bit, knowing that their prez won't have the facade of american support, diplomatic cover, that M7 once had under clinton or bush, say. (though both men know that, realistically, little will change in terms of policy in the next few years, for a variety of reasons... several elections in the great lakes region in 2011, the US need for continued AU (read: ugandan) troops in somalia, etc .)
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