Most people you ask anything about the topical talking points from the African Leaders something with Obama will speak in none but broad strokes. Well it appears that the summit/forum (whatever , who cares) was somewhere at the peak of the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative). The White house jamboree could have been about anything from gay rights, Gaza to Putin, Ebola to Boko Haram, missing planes; Presidents overstaying in power. All the usual important tersely worded and hardly pragmatic messages that keep politicians in business. The host must definitely have thrown in some democratic allegiance jazz, mouth that feeds you emaciated blacks and the like. (He must have arrived at this effect with more euphemistic prose of course!!)
Anyhow, what is making rounds in this post Post office Box age; what is making us rub our hands with glee is the sight of some pure African breed; complete with all the bells and whistles in the limelight. If People Magazine, thought it had excelled at affirmative action by naming Lupits the most beautiful person; well here is an "in your face moment!! (not that anyone should be beefing). We have for times long nostalgically and even foreboding relished the possibility of reminding Obama of our prized heritage but perhaps color is not all that defines kindred spirits. Telepathy seldom massages delusion.
Father-daughter moments are some of the most intimate romantics there ever will be. The West loves to believe that Africa is a giant bush with polygamous men, uneducated girls giving birth at twelve and heaven know what other hanky pankies we are known by. Maybe our girls do not have the accents to ace the Miss World small talk, maybe they do not take enough cocaine to come off as size zero enough or blonde enough to merit recognition. Let us dot our brood a little. We are as human as everyone, as bright and all, just meet us in our turf and try with our rules. Learn some Rukiga and let us debate about matooke growing and see how sharp those professors are?
Cognizant rather than oblivious to the mauling about how Mr. Kagame runs his country, the man has eluded most snares in the insidious plots of African leader stereotypes and Western government boot licking. He is not your run on the mill self indulgent politician with a corruption curve(pot belly) and whereas we could rationalize it on indomitable genetics, there is a
lot more about national resource utilization in Kigali that buffets my metaphoric peccadilloes.
Regardless, even the lovely dad's political heroics will not survive his noblest expression of the word romantic. We could forgive most African leaders for not having more prizing guests to show off. Sometimes it is hard to choose from ten plus wives(Swaziland do you copy?) and other times, after seventy years or so in power, how do you get your sixty something year old daughter to accompany you to the muzungu (read white) house?
All you need to do to forget about the Ugandan MPs busy bee antics to re pass the AHA, hoping they will do their legal homework this time instead of buying i pads they can hardly utilize; to forget that the Attorney General seems the least schooled head of the Bar ever(public opinion). All you need to do to forget that a country can work without a Chief Justice properly appointed because some godfather caught a sneeze...All you have to do my friend, is not to even care about Kipsiro's gold medal or the other bronzes that came in. (Naye are those medals edible? Why do those athletes bite after winning, smh?)...
All you have to do is to take a good seat and watch a photo-shoot. One with Obama and Michelle. No Beyonce or his talented lip, hubby drunk in love. No. Not even the Obama girls. This time it is Kagame's daughter. Yes Paul Kagame, Ange (ofcourse that's her name duh!!); Obama and Michelle. (Don't dare put Kevin Hart in that selfie!),it would be an abuse of human heights.
Just look at the man who has zipped up the volcano of genocide standing proudly next to his towering lil girl. No drooling. No. You just jump to your feet, post some smiles to the heavens and whisper to Angelina Jollie, Naomi Campbell and Halle Berry, "You got served!"
“A wedding is for daughters and fathers. The mothers all dress up, trying to look like young women. But a wedding is for a father and daughter. They stop being married to each other on that
day.”
― Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice
twitter @matsikogodwin
$TOH
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