Post by Muriithi on Oct 6, 2006 1:59:10 GMT 3
US Senator Obama no friend of Kenya
Now that the dust has finally settled after Senator Barrack Obama’s whirlwind tour of Kenya among other African countries, I believe time has now come for us to critically analyse his visit and try to go below the surface and ask ourselves hard questions;
· Was the visit about us ordinary Kenyans and what did we gain from it?
· Was it about Kenya or the USA?
What was the purpose of his visit? According to Obama’s spokesman the trip was intended to “underscore that the fate of African nations has an effect on the US especially when it comes to stable governments, terrorism, energy, security and humanitarian crisis such as Genocide and AIDS”. It was also widely reported that Senator Obama’s main aim was to further establish and improve on important relationships that the US Government has in Africa.
It is therefore clear that Obama’s visit was not the much talked about homecoming but that of an American businessman keen on clinching “deals” for his government. It is not hard to understand why the American Government would ruthlessly exploit the opportunity of a “black” Senator to lead its efforts in continuing to exploit the resources of our African continent. One of the reasons why Senator Obama chose South Africa and not his “home” Kenya as his first stop in his visit was that South Africa had only three months earlier signed a series of bilateral agreements with China ranging from agriculture co-operation to minerals and energy. The US is a major consumer of African oil and gas and about 15% of its oil imports come from Africa. The irony of Obama’s visit to South Africa was not lost to those who are familiar with the hideous role of the American and the British Governments in the unconditional support of the Apartheid regime that ruled South Africa with an iron fist until it was defeated in the 90s. Indeed both of these countries directly supported the apartheid Government of South Africa in attacking neighbours like Angola and only the heroic efforts of the Angolan troops supported by Cuban troops managed to beat back the invaders.
This routing of the forces of apartheid supported by The British and the American Governments finally led to the Independence of Namibia and brought an eventual collapse of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The Americans were of course interested in the Mineral and Oil wealth of Southern Africa but when the Cuban troops left Angola with their heads high they only carried with them their weapons and the bodies of more that 2000 of their fallen compatriot. Has the imperialist objectives of the American Government changed between then and now that Obama has become the American “Africa Superstar”?
Obama also had the opportunity of taking in public an AIDS test at the Kisumu General Hospital. Of course Obama did not tell Kenyans how many Africans have died of AIDS simply because the American pharmaceutical industry could not supply Africa with anti retroviral drugs since that was not deemed to be profitable. Indeed a past head of the imperialist USAID once said that it did not make sense to give Africans Anti-retroviral drugs because they would not help as Africans had no sense of time and could not therefore take the drugs at the prescribed time. A few weeks ago Mr. Natsios was rewarded for his “wisdom” by being named by the Bush administration as the US special envoy for Darfur!
Mr. Obama was also supposed to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but the visit was cancelled after his security could not be guaranteed. We all know that since DRC’s first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was killed by the CIA and the Belgians, who went ahead and installed Mobutu as their puppet President, the Congolese have never enjoyed peace. Indeed millions have lost their lives.
Sadly we ordinary Kenyans were lured into welcoming an American whose only assignment in Africa was the continued exploitation of Mother Africa. We ought to be wary of such people.
Now that the dust has finally settled after Senator Barrack Obama’s whirlwind tour of Kenya among other African countries, I believe time has now come for us to critically analyse his visit and try to go below the surface and ask ourselves hard questions;
· Was the visit about us ordinary Kenyans and what did we gain from it?
· Was it about Kenya or the USA?
What was the purpose of his visit? According to Obama’s spokesman the trip was intended to “underscore that the fate of African nations has an effect on the US especially when it comes to stable governments, terrorism, energy, security and humanitarian crisis such as Genocide and AIDS”. It was also widely reported that Senator Obama’s main aim was to further establish and improve on important relationships that the US Government has in Africa.
It is therefore clear that Obama’s visit was not the much talked about homecoming but that of an American businessman keen on clinching “deals” for his government. It is not hard to understand why the American Government would ruthlessly exploit the opportunity of a “black” Senator to lead its efforts in continuing to exploit the resources of our African continent. One of the reasons why Senator Obama chose South Africa and not his “home” Kenya as his first stop in his visit was that South Africa had only three months earlier signed a series of bilateral agreements with China ranging from agriculture co-operation to minerals and energy. The US is a major consumer of African oil and gas and about 15% of its oil imports come from Africa. The irony of Obama’s visit to South Africa was not lost to those who are familiar with the hideous role of the American and the British Governments in the unconditional support of the Apartheid regime that ruled South Africa with an iron fist until it was defeated in the 90s. Indeed both of these countries directly supported the apartheid Government of South Africa in attacking neighbours like Angola and only the heroic efforts of the Angolan troops supported by Cuban troops managed to beat back the invaders.
This routing of the forces of apartheid supported by The British and the American Governments finally led to the Independence of Namibia and brought an eventual collapse of the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The Americans were of course interested in the Mineral and Oil wealth of Southern Africa but when the Cuban troops left Angola with their heads high they only carried with them their weapons and the bodies of more that 2000 of their fallen compatriot. Has the imperialist objectives of the American Government changed between then and now that Obama has become the American “Africa Superstar”?
Obama also had the opportunity of taking in public an AIDS test at the Kisumu General Hospital. Of course Obama did not tell Kenyans how many Africans have died of AIDS simply because the American pharmaceutical industry could not supply Africa with anti retroviral drugs since that was not deemed to be profitable. Indeed a past head of the imperialist USAID once said that it did not make sense to give Africans Anti-retroviral drugs because they would not help as Africans had no sense of time and could not therefore take the drugs at the prescribed time. A few weeks ago Mr. Natsios was rewarded for his “wisdom” by being named by the Bush administration as the US special envoy for Darfur!
Mr. Obama was also supposed to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but the visit was cancelled after his security could not be guaranteed. We all know that since DRC’s first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was killed by the CIA and the Belgians, who went ahead and installed Mobutu as their puppet President, the Congolese have never enjoyed peace. Indeed millions have lost their lives.
Sadly we ordinary Kenyans were lured into welcoming an American whose only assignment in Africa was the continued exploitation of Mother Africa. We ought to be wary of such people.