China-Africa: What an Obama win signals ? from a chinese journalist
“Try to imagine, on the morning of Nov. 5, a brown-skinned African-American might be announced officially to be the next president of the United States. The historic moment would be seen on television all around the world . . . What kind of signal do you think it’s sending?” my British colleague from the Daily Telegraph asked me while Barack Obama was waving to his fans during his final rally in Colorado on Oct. 26.
It’s also the question I’ve been trying to answer for the last two weeks. A taxi driver from Jamaica told me that it would signal an end to white America. A cameraman from Uganda said it would be a blessing to African people. Some sophomore from the University of Denver told me that it would reflect the evolution of societies. McCain supporters would call it a signal of socialism, but the Chinese-American voters I spoke with, who knew socialism well, said that’s out of the question.
That’s interesting. Everyone seems to be getting a different signal from the possibility of an Obama victory today. I think there must be more positive signals than negative ones.
But what if Obama is not elected? Does it mean Americans cannot accept a black president? Is the election stolen? Is that a signal of racism? Will it be a prologue to chaos?
I stepped into a bar in an African-American community when I was in Washington, D.C., 10 days ago. A bartender there from Addis Ababa yelled about burning the street if Obama doesn’t win. I considered it a joke.
African-American voters should be thankful whether Obama wins or not. They have been a part of history. After all, only a little more than 40 years ago black kids in some states were still forbidden to attend the same school with white students. And now blacks are taking part in the first credible presidential campaign mounted by an African-American. It’s a signal of hope.
Finally, I should mention something about my country, China. If Obama wins the election, the most notable signal for Hu Jintao, the president of the People’s Republic of China, may be that China is going to face a brand new challenge from United States for its position in Africa, and the challenge may be more formidable than ever.
Liang Jianfeng is the news director at the News Express Daily in Guangzhou, China, the first privately funded newspaper in China. Liang is visiting the Rocky Mountain News to observe the U.S. election.
(rockymountainnews)