IN SEARCH OF DEMOCRACY: OBAMA, KENYA, NIGERIA

I have watched the planning and military precision that led to Super Tuesday and I cannot find a specific word to describe my feelings. Is "glee" appropriate? No, it doesn't truly capture my emotions. Maybe "ecstasy"? No, I never use that word because of its connection to illegal drugs and I don't want my site to get spammed by Porn-pandering auto-bots. How about I just stick to "Yippee!!!" That does the trick.

Watching the wheels of American democracy turn and seeing the fervor with which Americans, and non-Americans are engaged in it is refreshing and quite frankly, inspiring. The reasons are endless, so I'll stick to three.

Firstly, I am an avid sports fan and I especially enjoy boxing. The battle to be the Presidential nominee of both the Republican and Democratic parties has been a genuine slugfest. And rightfully so. The lives of so many people will be affected by whoever serves as President of the United States over the next 4/8 years. Secondly, no where else in the world is the race to become President packaged and presented like an entertainment program. The current race to the White House probably receives as many viewers collectively as the latest American Idol audition episodes. Anyway, I for one, have always been happy to spend my day watching the news and if it is packaged to provide additional entertainment while focusing on the main issues - even better.

The third and most important reason is that observing the American democracy experience makes me hunger for what could be an incredibly vibrant democracy in Nigeria. Imagine how liberating it would be to know that politicians would have to talk to the people and discuss their positions and plans. Imagine what it would be like if Nigerians were faced with qualified candidates that inspired them to do better and aspire for change. I listen to Hillary Clinton speak and I am impressed by her ability to speak directly to average individuals and answer their questions. It makes me hope that Nigerian leaders will understand the value of speaking to the people and not at them. I see the optimism that Obama fosters in average people and can only pray that some day, Nigeria will allow young and intelligent leaders the opportunity to make the country better.

And when I think of Nigeria, I must also think about the rest of Africa. Many African countries are also wrestling with the process of developing their own brand of democracy. But, I believe that if Nigeria can lead the way in creating a stable, free and fair democratic nation, other countries will have an African roadmap to follow. I especially believe this after re-reading "Soiled Hands" and visiting Ijebuman's blog where I learned that a new report indicates that Kenya's government realized they could pull their shameful sham of an 'election' after the Nigerian experience in 2007.

So, until Nigeria gets to that most glorious democratic-point, I can say that there has never been a point in my life where I have wanted to play an integral role in the future of another country like I feel today. Unfortunately, I am not American and cannot vote in the upcoming elections. I will therefore continue to watch the democracy unfold from the sidelines.


Further Reading:
- Barack Obama & Kenya
- On Ticking Timebombs: Kenya, Nigeria Et Al.