Johannesburg - All things fade, even Barack Obama’s star.
When the US president made it into the White House back in 2008, South Africa rejoiced. There were house parties, people wore Obama T-shirts and the US Embassy handed out commemorative coins.
How times have changed.
Outside the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus, protesters gathered on the other side of Chris Hani road accused the first black US president of being the “kitchen boy of the White House”.
Some of the posters were more direct. “Say no to Obama House Nigga,” said one. The protesters were made up of a collection of organisations. Other placards carried pictures of Obama with a Hitler-style moustache.
There were about 200 protesters, held back by the police.
There was the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), the SACP and even a group of Ethiopians who called themselves Let Our Voice Be Heard. There was even a member of the Zimbabwean Communist League.
“Stop using military force in Africa,” said Goolam Mohamed, of Sadtu. “And no more double agenda hypocrisy.”
The Ethiopians said they were here because their president was supported by the US.
The SACP called for the release of the Cuban 5, lifting of the blockade against Cuba and closing of Guantanamo Bay. And stopping the terror in Palestine. “Phansi (down) Zionist Israel, phansi,” the communists shouted.
One member of the SA Students’ Congress called on those invited to watch the president to take a radical course of action. “I want those who are going inside to make a citizen’s arrest,” Nhlamula Siwela said.
An independent protester, A’shiq Osman, said the irony was that Obama had been awarded the Noble Peace Prize, but had refused to close Guantanamo Bay even though it was part of his election promises. “I guess now that he has got his second term, he can do what he wants,” Osman said.
But inside the UJ there was a different atmosphere. The packed auditorium sang Shosholoza. Obama got a standing ovation as he strode in. “I believe this is one region on the move,” he told the audience. He said that the June 1976 uprising changed his life.
“The uprising here opened my eyes to the world,” Obama said.
He added that he was visiting a new Africa, that was more prosperous, more confident and the reason for this was the young generation he was addressing today. The town hall meeting was a question and answer session, where Obama answered questions asked by young people from South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
Obama announced the launch of a programme called the Washington Fellowship for Young Leaders, which will enable Africans to come to the US to study. This would help build a network of African and US collaboration that would benefit both countries, he said.
Sunday Independent