What’s at stake on Obama’s Africa trip
OPINION - This visit to Africa and to these three countries specifically will be a defining moment for the relationship between Africa and America, particularly in the so-called Obama Era...
Of all the West African nations, Nigeria, arguably the most powerful West African nation (and certainly the wealthiest), is the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about a presidential visit. There are, of course, good reasons for going to Senegal.
Apart from being beautiful (as all three of these countries are), Senegal, which gained its independence from France in 1960, is relatively stable compared to surrounding regions such as Mali which have been suffering from the effects of political and religiously-motivated violence and terrorism in recent times. A majority-Muslim nation, it is an example of how democracy can work alongside Islam. It is, therefore, a political and economic safe point for America and is one of the nations that can be an ally in advancing the democratic cause in Africa. Its current leader President Macky Sall, with whom President Obama will meet in the capital Dakar on Thursday, was elected peacefully and democratically in 2012.
South Africa and the U.S. have always enjoyed a positive relationship. It is politically and economically stable, and there is much that the U.S. has in common, historically, with the country. It is, like the U.S., steeped in an extraordinary racialized history of legalized discrimination and segregation, but it has also turned away from that past and embraced a democratic process that allows all South Africans to have a voice and a vote.
There is much that the U.S .and South Africa could learn from one another when it comes to advancing race relations.
In the shadow of Mandela
South Africa has also given rise to transformational leaders such as Nelson Mandela, who spent 30 years in prison for his fight against the apartheid regime. Although currently in critical condition, he remains a defining international figure who is also a voice of reason not just in South Africa but on the continent in general, and who President Obama – who is also advocating for the next generation of African leaders – could use as a figurehead for the kind of African leadership that the U.S. would support.
Tanzania is the East African country that many analysts would not have expected President Obama to visit, thinking instead that he may have gone to Kenya, the birthplace of his father. Tanzania is, however, not only politically stable and peaceful, ranking as the most peaceful country in Sub Saharan Africa, but it is also one of China’s major African trading partners.
There’s no doubt that there is a competitive element motivating their featured role on President Obama’s tour. China’s president Xi Jinping has already visited Tanzania this year and has openly showed his commitment to working closely with the country. Tanzania is one country in particular that exemplifies how the U.S. has fallen behind, with contracts that have been awarded by the U.S. to Tanzania for infrastructure projects now being fulfilled and completed by Chinese workers.
This visit to Africa, and to these three countries specifically, will be a defining moment for the relationship between Africa and America, particularly in the so-called Obama Era. The only difference is that unlike in the past, where it was Africa seeking America’s help, this time it’s very much the other way around.
