A rat that lives long enough can eat a cat!

Nov 10, 2008

One of the most telling and teasing Runyankole proverbs goes, “Obuhangazi: embeba ekarya ahamuguta gwa kapa”. (Longevity (long life): the rat ate the carcass of a cat).

Karooro Okurut

One of the most telling and teasing Runyankole proverbs goes, “Obuhangazi: embeba ekarya ahamuguta gwa kapa”. (Longevity (long life): the rat ate the carcass of a cat).

In short, if you live long enough, you cannot rule out seeing and encountering all manner of possibilities; and if the rat lived long enough, who knows, it could one day eat a cat.

Few would have thought it possible to see a Black President of the United States of America, the most powerful and the richest country in the world. But it is done.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Barack Obama told a jubilant crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered in Chicago’s Grant Park.

His victory speech, delivered with a passion seldom seen among world leaders, declared the start of a new era for America and for the world. One writer put it thus: “That Mr Obama gives good speeches is a given, his acceptance speech stands as one of the best ever, good enough to rouse even jaded political commentators to goose bumps. Good enough to drive people to tears, not just Americans but even foreigners.

I watched the acceptance speech with a classroom full of Japanese students and by the time the 16-minute speech had ended, a good number of students were crying.”

Obama’s charm, charisma and eloquence is a breath of fresh air into a world that had not seen many moving speakers since the days of the likes of Sir Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr.

And after memorable speeches like Sir Winston Churchill’s “Never, never give up” (perhaps the shortest speech in history because he took just about 10 seconds and sat down), Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream”, we now have another great one from Obama – “Yes We Can!” - delivered at the New Hampshire Democratic primary on January 8, 2008.

That is why I thought one BBC commentator took stupidity to new levels when, after Obama’s Chicago speech he quipped: “I hope he is also intelligent.” As the whole world was moved to tears by one of the most memorable speeches in history, here was this small brain raising questions about Obama’s intelligence.

Anybody who questions the intelligence of a Harvard Law School graduate, (magna cum Laude) the first African-America Editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, and a man who beat the heavy odds against him to become the most powerful human being in the world, must be really stupid.

Obama’s victory is a sign that the US has in many ways overcome the racial divide – the black vote even in its entirety would never have been enough to see him through.

While many Ugandans are still entertaining tribal sentiment when casting their vote – or clan considerations when candidates are same tribe – the US is marching on, throwing such primitive inclinations aside into a new order where merit is all that counts.

Secondly, Obama’s resolve to unite America and be everybody’s President, instead of trying to get back at those who didn’t vote him, must be lauded.

“To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices,” he said. “I need your help, and I will be your president, too.” Thirdly, the fact that his campaign targeted the grassroots population – very much like the National Resistance Movement (NRM) does here in Uganda – for votes and campaign money, was interesting.

It is always the little people, the unknown citizens whose voices are never heard, that ultimately decide the outcome of elections. Obama did not allow himself to be held hostage by the huge multi-national corporations; he chose to rely more on the one- dollar bills from the small- timers than on the million-dollar cheques from the big-timers.

And above all, the belief that Obama manifested in himself, ignoring the fact that he was a Blackman in a society where blacks are supposed to be inferior, should be an inspiration to everyone everywhere to believe in themselves.

Anything is possible if we believe in ourselves and have the guts to launch out into the deep. Obama’s victory aside, I thought his opponent John McCain’s concession speech also presents an excellent example to us Africans.

McCain did not waste time giving excuses for his loss; or trying to negate Obama’s victory in anyway. And come to think of it, this was McCain’s best moment of the entire campaign. You want to think that if he had spoken this powerfully all along, the race would have been much tighter than the shellacking he got at the hands of a man young enough to be his son.

“This is an historic election, and I recognise the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight,” McCain said. “I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I urge all Americans —I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.”

And like it was with Obama’s speech, by the time McCain was done, there was hardly a dry eye around.

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