By Banning Eyre and Sean Barlow
Photos by Banning Eyre

(Find great links to Inauguration-related video below)   

The Afropop A-team—Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre—travelled to D.C. to cover Barack Obama’s inauguration with a special eye to the African angle.  As we all now know, the current president of the United States is half Kenyan—an amazing fact, and one we have yet to fully comprehend.  Because of this, Africans and everyone who loves Africa have a special bond with Obama, and Afropop wanted to hear what people in Washington for the inauguration were thinking, and to see how they would show it.   Here’s our report: 

First stop was the magnificent free concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon, attended by at least a half-million people.  “We Are One: An Inaugural Celebration” presented a “who’s who” selection of American pop royalty: Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, John Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Herbie Hancock. John Mellencamp, James Taylor, Usher, will.i.am, Garth Brooks, Pete Seeger, and many others.  There was just one international act, U2, and alas, no Afropop stars.  No matter.  This was marquis Americana, circa 2009.  The performances unfolded with inspired pairings—a gospel choir backing Springsteen on “The Rising,” Bettye Lavette and a surprisingly soulful Jon Bon Jovi singing “A Change is Gonna Come” with a new final lyric (Change has come!), Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Sheryl Crow laying into Wonder’s classic “Higher Ground.”  Songs about the country reigned, from Don Mclean’s “American Pie” to “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”  Highlights included Mary J. Blige dressed in beige to match the Lincoln Memorial steps and delivering a deep soul rendition of “Lean on Me,” also Pete Seeger leading the massive and culturally diverse crowd in a long, tearful sing-along round of Woody Guthrie’s American anthem, “This Land is Your Land.” 

In between performances, actors and celebrities ranging from Marisa Tomei and Jack Black to Denzel Washington and Tiger Woods delivered reminiscences about American history, with the emphasis on Lincoln and FDR.  Film clips of the famous inaugural addresses of Roosevelt and Kennedy were shown, especially resonant on this day because of the iconic force of their most memorable words “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” and “Ask not what your country can do  for yourself. Ask what you can do for your country” also were delivered in times of great national crisis and generational transition. Tom Hanks’s invocation of Lincoln, under the marble gaze of The Great Emancipator, was especially moving.  But the crowd favorite had to be Jamie Foxx’s pitch-perfect imitation of Obama, the real man of the hour throughout. 

Beyond the dazzling performances and soaring words, two things resonated deeply on this chilly, hazy afternoon on the National Mall.  First was the palpable presence of the Obama family.  They and the Bidens crossed the stage before the show, greeting a crowd that stretched all the way to the Washington Monument.  Then they sat stage side, Malia snapping photographs, Barack and Michelle chatting, laughing and beaming.  Despite the massive proportions of the event, it really felt like we were all sharing the occasion with them in one big national living room.  No performer that day earned greater applause than the soon-to-be first family.  Each time they would appear on those massive jumbotrons, just being themselves, the crowd would go absolutely berserk. 

And that was the other extraordinary thing: the crowd itself.  Diverse in age and race, though heavily African American, this amalgam of strangers responded to the experience of virtual intimacy with the Obamas, and drew closer.  Strangers became friends as they helped one another navigate the cultural sweep of the performances.  “Oh, that’s Usher,” “Oh, that’s Renee Fleming.”  “Oh, that’s George Lopez.  He’s in all my favorite television shows.”  Everyone seemed to delight in the experience of sharing pop culture passions with their clueless neighbors, who normally swim in different cultural waters.  In another context, this might have been an occasion for alienation and even ridicule.  Here it became an excuse for friendliness, and a promising sign of what might be possible in Obama’s America. 

Aside from all the public events, the city (and no doubt, the country—much of the world) was aflood in private parties.  We stumbled into one by accident and found ourselves being interviewed on camera by middle-aged, African American ladies in front of a home-made Obama banner that hung in their festive dining room.  We also attended a terrific musical house party in Takoma Park where Banning got to play guitar in an impromptu jam with musicians from Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria.  A selection of friends, neighbors, and NPR people danced as if it were 2AM in a Kinshasa nightclub, when in fact, it was Monday afternoon! 

Then came the big day.  We rose at 5:30AM to begin the journey and reached the National Mall a little after 8:00.  This placed us either below the Washington Monument, or just across 14^th Street on the Mall itself, far from the live action, but at least on the scene.  (Pity those who wound up in the “purple tunnel of doom!”  Google it.)  We settled beneath the last in a long row of jumbotrons, and as the sun graced the thickening mass of humanity and a light breeze accentuated the brisk, sub-freezing air, all cell phone service stopped.  The systems were overloaded.  Any who had planned to “meet up” with friends were thus thwarted, and as at the concert two days earlier, strangers became company. 

Miraculously, we found ourselves standing about six feet from two people we knew.  WNYC (New York public radio) had set up an impromptu broadcast station, and there was engineer Ed Haber and reporter Siddhartha Mitter, a distinguished producer of past Afropop programs.  (Working hard, and hatless, they had to be envious of our fur hats, but true media stalwarts, they never let on.)  As politicians, judges and dignitaries paraded across the jumbotrons and made their way to their seats, the crowd rallied at the sight of familiar faces—Ted Kennedy in his fedora and blue scarf, Bill and Hillary, Jimmy Carter.   These and others earned flurries of shouts and flag waving.  We speculated as to how the crowd would respond to the departing president.  Banning predicted silence; Sean, correctly, predicted boos.  The sound the rose up from the throng as George W. Bush’s face appeared on the screens was not exactly a “boo,” more a weary moan of disapproval, but the message was clear.  It was unfortunate in a way.  Silence would have been more dignified, but then again, it’s hard to argue with the spontaneous verdict of some 2-million patriots willing to brave the cold to usher in a long-awaited new order. 

You don’t need us to tell you what happened next.  But when the oath, speech, and prayers were all over, we stayed on the Mall for an hour or so, wandering through the dazed and dissipating crowd.  We perused amazing selections of Obama-fanalia on sale, and came upon a number of spontaneous demonstrations, including proudly displayed African flags, notably the flag of Kenya, home to Obama’s paternal ancestors.  Long after the ceremony ended, with the Mall mostly cleared, we came upon two elderly African American women dressed in full-length coats of Malian mudcloth (bogolon), seated on folding chairs, silently gazing towards the capital.  It seemed they just did not want the moment to end. 

Having opted for the Mall, we were reduced to watching the parade on television.  No matter.  We had balls to dress for!  Not the official ones, but we did attend two un-official balls with African themes.  First up was “Africa on the Potomac: The Pan-African Inaugural Celebration of President Barack Obama.”  Co-hosted by the government of Kenya, the African Diplomatic Corps and a number of Africa-focused organizations in the U.S. (African Union, African Professionals of Washington, DC, and the Corporate Council on Africa), this was an elaborately produced affair held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.  The evening’s MCs were local television anchor Angela Rae and James Makawa, CEO of The Africa Channel.  Speakers included Stephen Hayes, president and CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa, and Moses Wetang’ula, Kenya’s minister for foreign affairs.  And of course, there was fine entertainment from the Boys Choir of Kenya, Voices of South Africa (A vocal and dance group directed by Mike Nguyuza), and the great Samba Mapangala, longtime singing star originally from Congo, but also a veteran of the music scene in Kenya (20 years leading Orchestra Virunga in Nairobi!), England, and recently the USA, which he now calls home. 

Africa on the Potomac was a benefit for Barrack Obama High School in Kogelo, Kenya, where the president's father was born.  The proceeds were expected to exceed $35,000.  Representatives from Obama's Kenyan family were present, and the object of much attention.  Actor Robert DeNiro stopped by to greet President Obama’s paternal aunt, but his encounter was fleeting.  The Obama women appeared proud but shy and did not speak publicly.  One "step sister" wore splendid Barrack Obama wax fabric that had to be then envy of everyone present.  Mama Sarah, Obama's tribal (not blood) grandmother is notoriously media shy.  When New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof visited her in Kogelo, she refused to be interviewed (Google that too for intriguing video).  Mama Sarah was reportedly in Washington for the ceremony, though she did not attend the ball as expected.  As readers of Obama’s memoir “Dreams from my Father” know, the president was never close to his father, and knows his Kenyan relatives still less well.  Obama’s brief visit with them in 2006 was only the third in his life.   We shall see what the future brings for this branch of the new American president’s truly extended family.   

We spoke with members of the Boys Choir of Kenya to sample the special pride Kenyans feel at this moment.  The Choir was formed by high school and university students in Nairobi in 2004, and made three visits to the U.S. during 2008.   Barack Obama’s election capped a year that began with traumatic post-election violence in Kenya, largely along ethnic lines.  The Luo people have never produced a Kenyan president, and yet Obama comes from that milieu.  Given this circumstance, Obama’s success has created a welcome bridge for Kenyans to come together in national, rather than ethnic pride.  As the Choir’s 19 year old Mitchell Mwamodo put it, “In Africa, we have so many races, and back in history, we know which one was high and which one was low.  So for the one that was low to become equal to the others, it came to teach us something--that we are all human beings.  It is not a matter of color, it’s not a matter of names. It’s not a matter of race.  We are all equal in the eyes [of God].”  He added that the more universal message of Obama’s election is that if a black person came become president of the United States then, “There is nothing that is not possible.  Everything is possible.” 

Joseph Muyale, the choir’s founder and artistic director, touted Obama’s first hand understanding of African realities, predicting that he would be effective on African issues.  Muyale said that Obama would likely shake things up in Africa not so much because of his racial background, but rather his age.  “He’s young,” said Muyale, “And in Africa, our politicians believe that age counts—you have to be so old to be a president.  That will now change the thinking of African youths, and even our old… We are going to find a time now when we will see many young presidents in Africa.  And also, the aspect of people believing in what you are, irrespective of your background, I believe that also is going to change the whole scene in Africa.” 

Stephen Hayes (Corporate Council on Africa) called this “a great day for Africa,” and echoed Muyale in predicting a new psychological climate in the business sector.  “A lot of people ask me,” said Hayes, “’Will American interest in Africa go up?’  I think the expectations on [Obama] are so high.  He is going to have to address a number of issues.  But I think that businesses will take a stronger look at Africa now.  They are bound to, subconsciously at the very least.  So I am hopeful that this presidency will in different ways, indirectly and directly, encourage U.S. companies to invest more in Africa.”  Hayes suggested that the new administration would likely be “more forceful” on the political stalemates in Zimbabwe and Sudan, but that, “in economic policy, it’s going to be very hard to make significant changes given what we’re up against economically in the US right now.  I think he’ll continue some of the same policies, and try to build on them.” 

Julius Coles, President of Africare, the largest U.S. NGO doing development work in Africa, also predicts a fruitful time for relations between the U.S. and African nations.  “I think Obama will approach Africa as a partner,” said Coles.  “He talks about ‘responsibility.’  And Africans through NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) have taken on that responsibility.  So I think he’ll come with a fresh approach of partnership and I think the Africans will really appreciate that.”  Coles was confident that the Obama administration would not afford Kenya any special treatment.  “I think Obama will treat it on the same terms as other countries—if a country does well in terms of democracy, good governance, and who has performed well... You have to have a special relationship with the country of your ancestors.  And since his father was a Kenyan, he’ll be favorably disposed towards them, but he won’t treat Kenya in an unequal way if it does not perform.” 

Just before he took the stage with a band of musicians from Kenya, Rawanda, Uganda and the U.S—who sounded very good, by the way—Samba Mapangala took a moment to tell us he was “very, very proud to come to play this event.”  More generous than the crowd on the National Mall that morning, Mapangala said, “Former President Bush did help a lot, helping for HIV AIDS, for malaria, also for war.  We have a war going on in eastern Congo, and also in Darfur.  President Bush did what he did, but we hope that Obama can do more.”  Mostly, though, this veteran singer was still trying to get over that psychological effect—the overwhelming symbolism of Obama’s victory.  “It’s unbelievable to see an African immigrant’s son become president of the United States,” he said.  “It’s like a miracle, but it is there.  America has real democracy.” 

Mapangala and his band soon drew a distinguished and fabulously well-clad crowd of celebrants onto the dance floor, just as images of the Obamas dancing at other balls appeared live on the video monitors at stage side.  The virtual image of the first couple swaying gently to African music was delicious.  (We look forward to seeing that play out for real on future occasions.)  But we had to drag ourselves away from the party as we had one more stop to make, “A Celebration of Change for the World,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art back on the National Mall.  The Museum and the organization Africa Aspire co-sponsored this event, and the presidents of Senegal (Abdoulaye Wade) and Nigeria (Umaru Musa Yar’Adua) were honored guests.  Youssou N’Dour and Les Nubians were billed as entertainment, though N’Dour—like Mama Sara—did not appear.  In his place, the Senegalese born R&B, hip hop star Akon performed, as did representatives of Mali’s Mande music community in New York, Nania Diabate, Yacouba Sissoko, and Balla Kouyate. 

By the time we arrived, Les Nubians were wrapping up the night with their funky, fused, pan-African mix before a crowd of well-clad, largely African dignitaries and celebrants.  The mood was predictably festive, the speeches over—time for dancing, a fitting end to a remarkable few days, and a watershed moment in American, African, and world history. 

First published: www.afropop.org

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