How Michelle Obama has won over South Africa

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

CAPE TOWN – Many South Africans have a new heroine this week — Michelle Obama. If the national media is a fair reflection of the national mood, it seems that people have suddenly switched from being indifferent to being enthusiastic about the first lady’s presence here.

A few days ago, talk about the trip seemed to center on the president’s perceived failure to deliver aid, investment and face-time to the leaders of the continent from which he draws some of his heritage. ‘Why couldn’t Mr Obama be bothered to come himself?’ many have wondered.

Click here to view a slideshow of the first family stepping out in South Africa

So, how has Mrs Obama managed what seems like a turnaround performance? She has side-stepped some of the most controversial issues, such as the problems caused by Africa’s remaining dictatorships, and the question of whether the United States has done enough to end poverty and war on the continent.

But she has delivered on her “core Africa issues” — AIDS, poverty, and education; and she has done it with grace. The same cab driver, who was ranting to me about the president’s no-show last Saturday, was full of praise for her personal charm by Wednesday.

WATCH MICHELLE OBAMA’S SOWETO SPEECH HERE:
[MSNBCMSN video=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ w=”592″ h=”346″ launch_id=”43491338″ id=”msnbc5cf203″]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Many South Africans feel inspired by her story, and humbled by her understanding of their story. There is no doubt that many more are, quite simply, honored that the first lady of the United States has bothered to be here. That’s important. Frequently, I hear Africans become frustrated that their continent receives so much more pity than it does respect.

A key moment was her meeting with Nelson Mandela on Tuesday. From their short time together, a tender image emerged of him reading to his guest. She seemed attentive. Here was a woman from a powerful country which has a painful racial past, pictured with the father of South African’s racial struggle. It was poignant; the image resonated in both countries.

South Africa is not short of heroic black figures, with Mr Mandela the best known. There is barely space for another — particularly a foreigner; but this simple picture might have helped Michelle Obama along the road to becoming one here.

But despite her trip to the Mandela mansion, the greatest moment in winning over South Africa might have been a visit to a far more humble setting — the largely impoverished township of Soweto, near Johannesburg.
As she arrived at the iconic church where she delivered an address to young women leaders, a crowd marched towards the building to get a glimpse. They shouted and sang “Obama, Obama” over and over again. One member of the crowd, made up almost entirely of women, said “She is everything. She’s a woman, she’s a lawyer, she’s a mother”. On a continent beset by problems over women’s rights, there is a surplus of heroes and a deficit of heroines.

Inside, Mrs Obama seemed almost overwhelmed. She delivered a performance described by more than one member of the congregation as “flawless”. She delighted many with her perfect pronunciation of African names and her deliberate reference to the historic significance of the venue; the church was used as a sanctuary by children fleeing bullets during the era of apartheid, and is still scarred by evidence of gunfire.

“It has been more than three decades, but those bullet holes in the ceiling, this broken altar still stand as vivid reminders of the history that unfolded here” the first lady told her audience. One local official who had been in the crowd said “she’d clearly done her research…she showed us that she cared”.

Here, there is a growing amount of personal fondness for the world’s best-known black woman. But does this mean that Africa is now crazy for all of the Obamas? Well, few officials in African capitals will believe that the first lady’s trip has done enough to counter their view that the president hasn’t been there for them. Michelle Obama’s tour skirted two democracies of southern Africa. It avoided what many believe to be “the heart” — geographically and politically — of this massive and diverse continent.

Some feel that if the United States can’t and won’t do any more for Africa, it should be more direct with people in those countries, who might still be looking towards the African-American president for an unrealistic amount of help, based solely on his heritage.

Eusebius Mackeiser, a respected social commentator is dismissive of what he believes to be the aim of the FLOTUS trip — an attempt by Washington to pacify African frustration. “This is a form of sugar coating; instead of being honest about the domestic constraints of doing more for Africa, we find the administration symbolically sending the president’s wife to Africa.”