The dust is beginning to settle.  The best of us are still trying to figure out how a relatively inexperienced African-American senator managed to charm his way into our children’s history books. Speaking at an Obama rally in Florida this past Saturday, comedian Chris Rock seemed certain why Barack Obama would win the race to the White House:

“He got a good chance because he’s Kenyan.  And you can’t bet a Kenyan at a race.   Nothing like a Kenyan, boy.  You got on a plane right now to New York and I got on a Kenyan, I’d beat you there.”

I’ll buy that one.  The big question now is: Can Barack Obama also sweep and dust the floor?  There’s a lot of dirt in Washington from the past eight years that needs cleaning up!  (Hat-tip to the St. Petersburg Times).

Events surrounding Zimbabwe have certainly not gone unnoticed in the news lately. A few examples can be found here, here, and here. Not forgetting Petina Gappah’s rant here, and Michael Trapido’s sentiments here.

I am keen to gauge the mood pertaining to Zimbabwe based on the traffic passing through this blog.  Kindly spare a moment to add your 2 pence to the poll below.

The November edition of Men’s Health magazine came through my postbox this past Wednesday.  Images of impossibly fit bodybuilders have become a fixture on the magazine’s cover each month.  Bearing this in mind, it was surprising to find a glum Barack Obama staring out of the latest edition (pictured).

November’s Men’s Health magazine is dubbed “The Heroes Issue”.  In the words of Dan Jones, it is a “roll-call of role models”.  A chronicle of “the most inspirational men [and women] in the world as picked by their heroic peers”.  Of significance to me is the inclusion of Barack Obama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in this eclectic list of iconic figures. Tributes to Obama and Tutu are written by Chuck D and Richard Branson respectively.  I have pulled through some excerpts of their thoughts below…

Chuck D on Obama:

I’ve always used terms like ‘citizen of the world’, and Obama is someone who seems to understand that concept.  It’s more important that we find ways to carry out foreign policy other than dropping bombs, and the noises he’s made are definitely a step in the right direction.  Crucially, the people who have supported him must stay the course with him.  If Barack Obama becomes President of the United States, the job is going to be two or three times harder for him than it’s ever been.  Partly that’s because of the mess that Bush has made, but it’s also because of who he is.  But Obama is a very smart guy and he definitely has the potential to spend two or three years cleaning up the mess and then working out where things go next…

Richard Branson on Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

There are very few people who become heroes in their lifetime and are still heroes when they die. Generally speaking, heroes let people down at some stage in their lives.  But there are exceptions.  My all-time hero is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who – with Nelson Mandela – has not only transformed South Africa, but has set an incredible example for the rest of the world… Tutu is rather overlooked in the shadow of Mandela, and yet, 77 on 7 October, with prostate cancer, he is trumping the world and trying to address the problems of Zimbabwe, Darfur, and Kenya.  He is just an unbelievable and unique individual.

On that note, allow me to congratulate the Archbishop on his 77th birthday, albeit two days in advance.

I urge anyone with an interest in Africa to stop and watch this presentation by Ory Okolloh.  It was delivered last year at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Arusha, Tanzania. This is essential viewing for Africans and non-Africans alike. To listen to Ory’s fascinating talk, click the image on the right or click here.

Ory is a Kenyan lawyer, political activist, and blogger. She is the co-founder of Mzalendo, a website tracking the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament. She is also a co-founder of Ushahidi, a website initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election crisis earlier on this year.  Her personal blog goes under the name Kenyan Pundit.

Democrats in the United States must have wished the presidential election could be decided on the basis of speeches alone.  Barack Obama’s Thursday night acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was a masterclass in oratory skill. In the same token, Republicans may have hoped presidential elections could be won by candidates providing the most shock-value. John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate would have all but guaranteed him a place in the Oval Office. Even the most seasoned Washington watchers were shocked by his pick after weeks of Romney / Pawlenty speculation.  What a week it has been!

Taking into account Obama’s African roots, last Thursday evening’s proceedings at the INVESCO Field at Mile High were nothing short of historic. It was essential to stop and take in just how far America has come as a nation.

That said, I take a more sober view of the American presidential race. I question the ability of an Obama presidency to sidestep Washington’s lobbyists and special interest groups in a bid to deliver real reforms. Watching Eugene Jarecki’s film Why We Fight (a long hard look at America’s far reaching military industrial complex), one begins to get a glimpse of the magnitude of what he is up against. With Joe Biden at his side as a hardened Washington insider, I do wonder whether some of Obama’s most formidable backers constitute the very fabric of the system he is out to change.

John McCain on the other hand does not need to say a word to put me off his campaign.  The very fact that he can tolerate George Bush is enough to make me crawl into a cave and hide.  Ironically, I have a minute for Sarah Palin’s conservative views on abortion and same-sex marriages which ring true with my own unpopular Christian values.  I do find myself wondering how she reconciles all that she stands for with representing a party that took America to war in Iraq, among many other indiscretions.  One thing is certain; her inclusion on McCain’s ticket guarantees the rest of us compulsive viewing over the next few months.

This may be an American election, but it may as well be viewed as a global one. With the world shrinking at its edges on a daily basis, American domestic and foreign policies have a way of affecting all of us.  This coming November we will watch Americans make their choice for the good of their nation, and indirectly, the rest of the world at large.  I find myself fastening my seatbelt – I predict a bumpy ride ahead…

President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, of Zambia, passed away this morning in a French military hospital. My sincere condolences go out to his family and all Africans who may be mourning this tragic loss.

Since hearing news of his death, I have struggled to allocate an appropriate box in my mind to store Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy. In a continent full of enigmatic heads of state and government, it is not surprising that his is a profile difficult to define. Anti-corruption crusader, darling of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), critic of the Zimbabwean government, father of six, the brunt of jokes (his intelligence was often challenged in the press), high profile lawyer, Chiluba’s nemesis – the list is as wide as it is endless.

President Mwanawasa’s unassuming persona and soft-spoken nature, were two traits about him that even his foes cannot dispute in retrospect. These characteristics were often mistakenly perceived as signs of weakness. It was with this backdrop that his firm stance against political events in Harare came almost as a surprise to non-Zambians. Many of us had assumed he was yet another African leader unwilling to express a divergent view on Zimbabwe. It is ironic that his death came at a time when his voice was increasingly gaining gravitas beyond Zambia’s borders.

Within Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa was not without his detractors. A sore point was the fallout with the opposition after election irregularities in 2001 – an election which he won. There was also a general perception that he did not do enough to pull his poorest fellow citizens out of poverty during his presidency. On the other hand, he can be credited with a strong fiscal record during his tenure at the helm. It was his commitment to a free market economy, coupled with his drive against corruption, that earned him the favour of Western governments.

Ultimately, my search continues – I am still looking for a box to package Mwanawasa’s place in history. For now, Africa mourns the loss of yet another son. Differences are cast aside as we allow his family to grieve.

For those of us following current events in Southern Africa, the week so far has not provided much to consider. For the benefit of anyone just back from Mars, I am referring to Zimbabwe’s three key political entities reportedly negotiating around a table somewhere in South Africa. The more interesting political developments have surprisingly been here in the UK, where Gordon Brown is having his worst summer ever.

The Labour Party’s defeat in the Glasgow East by-election last Friday has compounded Gordon’s misery. Speculation has risen over the possibility of a new Labour leader being secretly preferred by back bench Labour MP’s worried about their own political futures. The media has suggested that David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, may be eyeing the top post. In other quarters Harriet Harman (Labour deputy leader) has been touted. Frankly, I am not particularly enthralled by the Labour Party at the moment. However, an article in The Times by the veteran journalist William Rees-Mogg did manage to amuse me. Stating his case for Harriet Harman he says:

“David Miliband might be promoted as a British Obama where Harriet Harman is the British Hillary.”

But quickly adds:

“Mr Miliband’s trouble is that Senator Obama is beyond his level; the comparison could be damaging.”

I try to picture David Miliband on a podium giving his wife a trademark Obama fist bump. It just seems a little too much for my brain to take in. You can read the full article by William Rees-Mogg here.

On the 15th of July 2008, The Boston Globe featured a short article on recent developments in Croatia which caught my eye. It was a report on the Croatian parliament passing a law forcing shops to close on Sunday in a concession to the Roman Catholic Church. It got me wondering if this could be the beginning of a wider trend. I know for a fact some labour unions in other parts of Europe have been campaigning for similar changes over the past couple of years. Click here for the full article.