(<span style="font-style: italic">From Blakkgiant's light-skin advantage website - some interesting observations:</span>)
President Obama's speech to Africa "lectured Africans on local repression, corruption, brutality, good governance and accountability". Whereas in his Arab world speech in Egypt, "there was nothing 'brutal' he could conjure up, no 'corruption' and no 'repression'".
On Congo, Mr. Obama failed to mention the role of the West in eliminating popular leaders like Patrice Lumumba who worked hard for a better Congo. Instead, the West enthroned and supported Mobutu Sese Seko who plundered the country and killed all potential rivals. By the time Mr. Mobutu's rule ended, Congo was defunct of good leaders. The political vacuum has since led to insecurity in that country.
Even more surprising and troubling was Mr. Obama's decision to use a faulty comparison between Kenya and South Korea. In the speech, he wondered as to why South Korea's economy is far ahead that of Kenya even though several decades ago, Kenya was ahead. Any high school student should be able to explain the difference. South Korea, because of its proximity to North Korea, is very important to America and the West, for both security and ideological reasons. As such, rich Western countries have poured abundant resources on South Korea, while Kenya has been struggling to access Western markets for its mainly agricultural exports. Sometimes, the poor are so not because of stupidity and laziness, but rather for the rich having written the rulebook and grabbed all their resources.
It also must be pointed out that when the president wanted to talk to the Arab world he chose Egypt, a country with one of the most horrible human right records in the world - and Egypt is far from being an exception in the Arab world. Yet, there was no patronizing talk about a rewarding visit to some country from the region for its democratic record. While the Ghanaians seemed happy to turn the other cheek over and over again, Mr. Obama's speech will probably best be remembered for cementing stereotypes against Africa. Already, the European and the far-right white South African media are celebrating.
President Obama's speech to Africa "lectured Africans on local repression, corruption, brutality, good governance and accountability". Whereas in his Arab world speech in Egypt, "there was nothing 'brutal' he could conjure up, no 'corruption' and no 'repression'".
On Congo, Mr. Obama failed to mention the role of the West in eliminating popular leaders like Patrice Lumumba who worked hard for a better Congo. Instead, the West enthroned and supported Mobutu Sese Seko who plundered the country and killed all potential rivals. By the time Mr. Mobutu's rule ended, Congo was defunct of good leaders. The political vacuum has since led to insecurity in that country.
Even more surprising and troubling was Mr. Obama's decision to use a faulty comparison between Kenya and South Korea. In the speech, he wondered as to why South Korea's economy is far ahead that of Kenya even though several decades ago, Kenya was ahead. Any high school student should be able to explain the difference. South Korea, because of its proximity to North Korea, is very important to America and the West, for both security and ideological reasons. As such, rich Western countries have poured abundant resources on South Korea, while Kenya has been struggling to access Western markets for its mainly agricultural exports. Sometimes, the poor are so not because of stupidity and laziness, but rather for the rich having written the rulebook and grabbed all their resources.
It also must be pointed out that when the president wanted to talk to the Arab world he chose Egypt, a country with one of the most horrible human right records in the world - and Egypt is far from being an exception in the Arab world. Yet, there was no patronizing talk about a rewarding visit to some country from the region for its democratic record. While the Ghanaians seemed happy to turn the other cheek over and over again, Mr. Obama's speech will probably best be remembered for cementing stereotypes against Africa. Already, the European and the far-right white South African media are celebrating.

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