We jumped off the tiny boat onto the shores of a fishing village on Lake Victoria. It was a side trip I just had to make on my recent vacation to Kenya, the African country about the size of Texas. After a few welcoming handshakes and a few introductions one of our first topics of conversations was…drum roll please…politics.
“I am Barack Obama’s brother,” Mohamed Asanti bragged. He was one of the first to greet us as we splashed ashore, amid curious children sitting in the idle fishing boats.
“Really, I exclaimed,” with a healthy dose of reporter skepticism. “Let me interview you.” The video camera was at the ready.
“Well…wait, wait, wait,” Mohammed hesitated, “He’s not my real brother, but my father knows his father. He was from his village which is just a short way away.” Obama’s father was from Alego just to the north of Kolunga, the place we visited.
At the health center there, workers proudly display a poster with Barack Obama and his wife being tested for AIDS, a growing health problem in the village. (Senator Obama was tested in Kenya to promote AIDS testing throughout the country a few years ago.)
Then there’s the computer center where fashion designer Kate Spade donated computers so the village could have internet access and the women in the village could learn to use computers. The men continue to fish while the women learn new skills.
“How do you feel about Barack Obama?” I asked Mohamed as we strolled through the village.
“We love Obama. We love Obama. Very good man.”
“Will he be the next President of the United States?”
“Ah, no one knows, we like him…”
“And how do you feel about John McCain?” I asked fully expecting a less enthusiastic reply.
“Oh…John McCain. We love him very much too,” answers Mohammed without hesitation.
Apparently, the village has not only learned computer skills, but diplomacy as well.
Harry Martin 