A True Democracy

After speaking with my dad on the phone, I realized what an opportunity I had to speak a little about what a victory for Barack Obama and his ascendency to the office of President means to Peace Corps Volunteers, Africa, and people in general. Before I continue any further I would like to state that these opinions don't necessarily reflect my own, but those who I have talked to in village and in Niger. Nor do they at all reflect the views of Peace Corps or any other organization.

For Peace Corps, Obama has promised to double the size of Peace Corps by 2011, increasing our funding and the amount of Volunteers. Bush made the same promise eight years ago, so let's hope that this is followed through this time. Like everything else that Obama championed, this move stands for hope. It hearkens back to a time when America was seen as the philanthropic democracy, a place where anyone could succeed and do good in the world. There are so many links, real and imaginary, between Obama and Kennedy that I won't go into them here, but I will say this: if America has squandered this capital of political goodwill on costly wars and perceieved imperialism, we can gain it back by serving and sharing in other cultures. And for me, Peace Corps has provided this tenfold.

This idea of democracy is also integral for the world and Africa especially. I was in Niamey the day before the election, and a taxi driver, who must have been somewhat traveled or educated because he knew English, told me that Barack Obama could never be president in America. He said a black man could never be president. "Look at the pictures," he said, "white, white, white, white. Obama will never be the first black president." Well here we are. This election was historic because it represented so much for an entire continent. It lifted people up, gave them an ideal, destroyed cynicism. African leaders must now be responsible to their countries and their people as the citizens of Africa believe anyone can overcome any challenge and succeed. They now have many more expectations for their leaders. And not just Obama has put forth this change. With election violence in Kenya and Zimbabwe, McCain's concession speech gave many Africans a model for proper political behavior which we may hope to determine future election protocal here in Africa. Acknowledging defeat and proclaiming unity is an example of the democratic spirit America represents in the world.

My villagers have spoken a lot about France and America, about their differences and how these differences are reflected in our current political situation. The French, according to my villagers, came to niger and taxed people who'd been living in the same place for generations. They created artificial divisions among the people, mistreated everyone, and generally brought all the trappings of colonialism to Niger. The Americans, on the other hand, brought development and aid to millions who needed it. With Obama's election, they see the old America resurgent. They see an end to a war in which so many have died. They see diplomacy returning and conquering the rhetoric that has dominated the past decade, and they see America as a true democracy, a place where everyone is equal, something they hope Niger and all of Africa can one day attain.

And that's the greatest gift of this election: hope. It's something that American has stood for for years, in theory and somewhat variable practice. I can't believe how strong the reaction has been in my community to an election thousands of miles away. Strangers stop me in the bush to offer congratulations. Everyone listened to the election results even deep into the night. To see so many people happy about something one would expect to have such a small impact on their lives is unreal. To be American, which I've always taken for granted, is suddenly a lot more meaningful.