Presidential inaugurations a world apart

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on. Picture: Matt Rourke/AP

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on. Picture: Matt Rourke/AP

Published Jan 22, 2017

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How could I celebrate the grandiose entry of a new US president when my fellow Africans in The Gambia had to swear in theirs at an embassy in Senegal, says Victor Kgomoeswana.

Air Force One, Trump Force One, who cares! In the frenzy that ushered in the now President Donald J Trump, I opted to be Hater One, instead. Social media gushed with the inauguration of the property billionaire in Washington, and I elected to focus on the $1 billion economy coursing through Senegal in the west coast of Africa; instead of the $18 trillion US.

For those befuddled by hip-hop speak, urbandictionary.com defines a hater as a “person who simply cannot be happy for another person’s success, so rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person”. 

Sadly, no media house or platform cared for the grumpy old Afro-optimist I had become, hating on the day’s biggest showcase on earth.

How could I celebrate the grandiose entry of president-elect Trump when my fellow Africans in The Gambia had to swear in theirs, property developer Adama Barrow, at an embassy in Senegal the day before?

No, I was going to wait for the stand-off in West Africa to be resolved before I could acknowledge that something spectacular was happening across the Atlantic.

It was like being poor, living across the street from filthy rich and showy neighbours.

The swearing-in ceremony at the inauguration of Gambia President Adama Barrow at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal. Picture: Reuters 

As Trump was downgrading from his Boeing 757, with seatbelts that are 24-carat gold-plated and a customised collection of 1000 movie titles, to the official presidential jet, Barrow was huddled with his aides under the cover of a regional military force.

He was unable to return home to govern after winning the presidential race last month.

The empty streets of Banjul were no match for Washington and its colourful Capitol Hill terrace applauding Trump promising to transfer power from the ruling elite to the people.

I saw Barack Obama’s snigger at that point.

But since the audience kept on applauding their new man, I could not fault Trump’s inauguration. I sought refuge in something else, until The Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh complied with the ultimatum to leave office.

I found solace in the African Cup of Nations, taking place in Gabon. But, when you are in hater-mode, everything stinks. Soon I found something wrong with the continental soccer showpiece.

There was no Southern African representation since my beloved Bafana Bafana choked yet again in the qualifying rounds.

The lonesome representative of my region, Zimbabwe, promised but did not deliver.

So, I threw my toys - though even my nanny was captivated elsewhere. Stealthily I checked out the pomp and ceremony in the US again, where Trump announced his arrival on the political scene with his, “from now on, it is America first”.

The hater in me said: easier said than done! Obama’s facial expression was still with me on this one.

It did not matter that this was a tradition maintained since 1789, with President George Washington, and that it brought together people who not so long ago were political rivals to celebrate US democratic values.

I could not relate.

My Gambia had only two heads of state since gaining independence in 1965.

President Sir Dawda Jawara ruled from 1970, got re-elected five times before being overthrown by the 29-year-old Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh in 1994.

Both men survived repeated coup attempts, too; and you wanted me to celebrate the US’ display of the will of the people; what’s that?

No, Mandingo, Trump’s Gambian counterpart was crouching behind foreign troops ready to remove the stubborn Jammeh from power. Barack Obama was graciously embracing Trump, as he vacated the Oval Office; Jammeh was stalling way beyond his midday deadline, not even in his country.

My African nightmare was painfully dragging on; how could I symbolically celebrate the American Dream? Hater One says: no! Luckily, by Saturday morning, my ordeal ended when sense eventually prevailed in Banjul.

Kudos to the Economic Community of West African States for showing some teeth.

Instead of standing by until colonial forces intervene and then decrying foreign interference, they stepped in decisively and told Jammeh: it’s time to bounce, dawg!

May this signal the end of Africa’s lifelong rulers!

* Kgomoeswana is author of Africa is Open for Business and hosts Power Hour from Monday to Thursday on Power FM. Twitter Handle: @VictorAfrica

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

The Sunday Independent

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