Barack Obama's historic victory in the US Presidential election dominated almost every Swahili blog. Dira Yangu in Fungua Jicho blog announced Obama's victory with an advice to African leaders:
Seneta Obama hatimaye ameshinda urais wa Marekani na anakuwa rais wa Kwanza Mweusi kwa historia. John Mc Cain amekuwa wa kwanza kukiri kuwa ameshindwa kiungwana na kumpongeza mwenzake Obama. Hili limekuwa funzo lingine kwa wagombea wetu wa kiafrika na kitanzania wanaposhindwa si kukimbilia mahakamani bali ni kukubali.
Chemi Che Mponda at Swahili Time settled for Barack Obama Wins Election 2008 as the headline. She adds:
Barack Obama ni Rais Mteule wa Marekani!!!! Senator wa Delaware Joe Biden, atakuwa makamu wa rais. Mungu yu mwema! Waafrika na hasa sisi kutoka Afrika Mashariki Tujivunie!
OBAMA UBARIKIWE!
OBAMA BE BLESSED!
Issa Michuzi just posted a collage of front pages of newspapers all decorated with Obama's victory headlines while Charahani posted photographs of president elect Obama and his family waving to the crowds and of people in tears after the historic win.
In a post titled Obama katoka mbali ati (Obama has come a long way), Issa Michuzi posted a number of Obama's photos. And, as if in a photo essay, Mwaipopo also posted Obama's photos from childhood to the great day. He also observed:
Obama! Obama!
Kila mtaa hapa bongo watu wote ni Obama, Obama kufuatia ushindi wake wa kishindo huko Marekani. Kila baada ya sentensi mbili inayofuatia ina neno ‘Obama'. Pegine wakati wafuasi wake wali0tapakaa ulimwenguni wakishangilia, yeye anatafakari ni kwa namna gani ataitoa Marekani (na sehemu zingene za dunia) hapo zilipo na kuzipeleka pengine palipo bora zaidi. Blogu hii inamtakia kila la heri katika kazi yake hiyo aliyoiomba kwa juhudi zote.
In every street here in Bongo (a slang for Tanzania) everybody talks about Obama following his emphatic win in the US. After every sentence the second one must have the word ‘Obama'. It is possible that while his supporters celebrate world over, he is thinking about a strategy to steer America (and other parts of the world) from the present state to a far better place. This blog wishes all the best in the job that he's asked for.
Nkwazi Nkuzi Muhango in Mpayukaji blog, Dira Yangu in Fungua Jicho, and Nukta77 all had the Obama's acceptance speech.
Nukta77 also posts an email from one of her reader's on what Obama should do in relation to Africa:
Obama angehutubia AU na awatake viongozi wa Afrika walifanye bara hili kuwa business patner na sio dampo la majaribio ya sera za mataifa makubwa na misaada”.
Kwa wale wanaotegemea misaada kutoka kwa Obama, ninamshauri Obama asitoe misaada kwani katika kusoma kwangu sijawahi kusikia taifa lolote lile ulimwenguni ambalo limetajirika kwa misaada. Maendeleo hayaletwi kwa wingi wa pesa bali kwa ubunifu, maarifa na kazi. Fedha na misaada ni nyenzo na sio mhimili wa kuleta maendeleo.
Nasikitika kuona kuwa vijana wasomi wetu hawaonyeshi kujifunza kutokana na ushindi wa Obama. Wale vijana wa Vyuoni wamebaki kucheza ‘twist' wakati muziki unaopigwa ni ‘bongo flava'!
For those waiting for aid from Obama, I advise him not to grant any because from what I have read, I have not yet come across any nation in the world that became wealthy from aid. Development can not be brought about by money but by creativity, knowledge and hard work. Money and aid are just tools and can not pillars for development.
I am saddened to see that our young educated people have never learnt a thing about Obama's victory. Young people in colleges are still dancing to ‘twist' while the music that's being played is ‘bongo flava' (Swahili hip hop)!
To acknowledge this historic event Chemi wants Obama's sculpture to be added at Mt. Rushmore. A reader though, calls for caution:
Pamoja na kuwa shabiki wa Obama lakini ni bado mapema sana kwake kuwa mmoja wa marais mashuhuri Marekani.Dada Chemi inabidi athibitishe katika mandate period na ikiisha ndio tuzungumzie hilo.Hao waliopo kwenye Mt Rushmore waliwekwa pale baada ya kumaliza uatwala wao.
In Dar Es Salaam, Issa Michuzi took some photos of people wearing Obama's T-shirts. But the extent of Obamamania started even before he was elected when Tshirts designed by a local artist Mayunga and a Swahili book on Obama written by a Swahili blogger, Mjengwa were often sold out as recorded by CNN in this video found at Nukta77 blog:
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* This post also appears in Global Voices Online.
