Something beautiful: Reaction from Obama's Kenyan family [View All]

[elizm]

Something beautiful: Reaction from Obama's Kenyan family
by anna
Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 10:01:01 AM PST
Just watching MSNBC right now, and they've got a reporter named Martin Fletcher over in Kenya right now. He just gave a report from Kenya - transcript after the fold - describing the joy felt by Obama's African family after his win last night. The report reminded me that the symbolic value of an Obama win can't be underestimated.

anna's diary :: ::
Here's the transcript:

Well I can tell you that if people are happy - if Obama's supporters are happy in the United States - they're ecstatic in an area in Kenya called Nyangoma-Kogelo, and that's the area where his family comes from.

They were listening to results on the radio last night because they don't have a television in their village. So they'd all kinda gathered 'round their radios waiting for the results - the family of Barack Obama. And they said when they heard that he won they all began screaming and jumping and dancing in the air and clapping each other on the back - you know, absolute ecstasy in the village.

You can imagine... This is the village where his father comes from, where his grandmother is living right now. And I spoke to his uncle by the way - I called his uncle - and he said, he pleaded with me actually - and if you don't mind, I'll do this now - he pleaded with me to pass on a message to Barack Obama. This is from his - this is from his uncle Sayid Obama, and the message is that the family here in Kenya - we are so happy, you make us proud, and we're praying for your success in New Hampshire . So that's the message from the relatives in Nyangoma-Kogelo, western Kenya.

It's really beautiful to me to hear this expression of joy coming from Obama's African family.

It's not just being felt in Kenya - but around the world. I took a brief tour around a few international news sites I follow. Obama's victory is front page news all over the world. Here's a small sample of screen caps.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/4/114210/2785/744/430474