Uyapo meets Barack

| Friday August 13, 2010 00:00

I guess many people, including business and political leaders, would have relished the opportunity that I had.  It was a momentous occasion in my life, which I shall forever treasure.

The primary purpose of the meeting was to reflect on the future of Africa, together with young leaders from African countries, and also craft innovative solutions to challenges facing Africa.  We also had to map ways with which America can improve partnerships with young leaders.  That was the first conference of its kind to be convened by an American president and I am delighted to have been part of such a significant moment.

I had numerous unforgettable experiences and I will just give a summary of them below. I  enjoyed my unguided tour of the Whitehouse, yes the Whitehouse, and the talk by President Obama.  What struck me the most from his address is his belief and confidence in young people as he said we have already distinguished ourselves as leaders and that we now have to shape the future and destination of Africa.  The latter part of the aforegoing resonates well with what I see in Botswana because many young people with potential have a sense of inadequateness in them and feel that they are not cut out to do great things.  We do have boundaries that we have set for ourselves and I urge all young persons to think big of ourselves and believe that 'WE CAN', individually and collectively. It is a fact that the majority of Batswana are young people and it is, therefore, proper for us to be shaping the path and destiny of our country.

President Obama challenged us to be the change that we seek; I guess he drew his words from the humble yet powerful Mahatma Gandhi.  President Obama further put emphasis on transparency, accountability and strong civil society if positive transformation is to be achieved. I imagine our not so active civil society in Botswana is taking heed.  It is through a powerful, coherent and united civil society that swift and necessary change is often realised.

Sadly, we lack that in our country.  President Obama went on to caution us against migrating to other countries, especially overseas for greener pastures, but rather remain in our countries as it is relatively easy to make greater and meaningful impact locally.  I couldn't agree more because, in part, I felt validated after having a similar conversation with my fellow Botswana delegate Itumeleng Ramsden, when we were flying to Washington, DC.  I had intimated to her that I turned down a tempting opportunity to work in New York because I felt I can be much more useful locally.

Barack Obama is in my view very organised, tactful, shrewd and moving when he speaks.  He is a true son of the soil and he is proud of his African heritage.  I also met Senator Dick Durbin, who was the first senator to endorse Obama when running for president and coincidentally he mirrored my description of how I see Obama.  What still perplexes me is that senator Durbin's endorsement was seconded by another senator 12 months later.  I wonder whether his fellow senators were sceptical about Obama's credentials or colour or that they took an inordinate time to notice talent.  A gem.

The downside of my trip is that I didn't get to see Michelle Obama, what an amazing and powerful woman she is. She has contributed significantly to making Barack Obama the firebrand he is today.  Anyway, I take solace in the fact that I met with Hillary Clinton, who is also by any measure astute and powerful.  I guess Bill and Barack chose wives' carefully and wisely.  Oh, and happy women's month to all the women out there.  I cherish you.

Hillary Clinton said that America wants to partner with us young African leaders and that they are rooting for our success.  That's heartening.  She went on to underscore the importance of free press, independence of the judiciary and rights of minority groups.  All these issues are relevant to us and pertinent.  We are at a time that the media and activists in Botswana are unflinchingly condemning the Media Practitioners Act as it seeks, in part, we argue, to abridge the freedom and autonomy of the media. I was taken aback by the level of unawareness by most Americans that I met about Africa.  They don't know a thing about us.  It seems the 2010 soccer World Cup was not very helpful in profiling us.  Hillary Clinton acknowledged this fact.  She indicated to me that one of the American journalists once asked her what the capital city of Africa is.  Anyway, I guess meetings like the one we recently had with President Obama will help create and/or raise awareness about Africa.

Lastly, although most black people perceive white people to be generally individualistic, I was humbled by the spirit of volunteerism at play in America after visiting several non-governmental organisations.  Young and old, male and female alike do get involved and do great work in their communities for their communities.  This is in sharp contrast with what obtains here.  We seldom do voluntary work, despite the fact that we are generally communal in nature.  I challenge young people to get involved and cause change even at no pay.  BONELA is currently mooting ideas of how to get people involved in community work/activism by either donating their time or resources.  I personally joined BONELA as a volunteer during my law school days and the rest is history as I am now at the helm of the organisation.

Uyapo NdadiExecutive DirectorBONELA