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- Title: GHANA: Ghana's song for Obama and a reputation of democracy.
- Date: 29th October 2012
- Summary: VARIOUS OF FANS TAKING PICTURES WITH BLACK RASTA
- Embargoed: 13th November 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ghana
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: International Relations,Entertainment,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAD6YTK1U90PGULRYGACDLUF8V5
- Story Text: In 2008, this was a hit song in Ghana. DJ Abubakar Ahmed, known in the showbiz circles of Accra as 'Blakk Rasta' recorded the song about then US presidential candidate, Barack Obama to show his support.
The song earned him global recognition. It was the theme song when president Obama made his first visit to Africa after taking office, and went to Ghana. The New York times said the song had a way of staying in the head long after.
Four years later and towards the end of what could be Obama's last term, Blakk Rasta is still reaping the benefits of that one hit.
He is one of Ghana's top DJ's and has celebrity status wherever he goes.
"I mean, before I made the song for Obama I did not have a house, now I can say that I have a house, I do not pay rent anymore, I give thanks to Jah. Of course Obama did not come down to say take this money but through that, the endorsements other people who loved him got to love me, the concerts that I did around, the love that Obama spread around the world part of it touched me and made other people love what I was doing and until now," said Rasta.
Blakk Rasta hasn't planned for any follow up singles in honor of Obama's bid for a second term.
The excitement experienced four years ago has long since died down here.
Sub Saharan Africa has not been high on Obama's foreign policy agenda. He spent less than 24 hours in Ghana when he visited in 2009.
As an African-American whose father was born in Kenya, Obama was anxious not to be seen as exaggerating the importance of Africa in U.S. foreign policy, analysts said.
Obama's choice of Ghana as his first trip to the African continent was meant to reward the country's record of good governance and democratic ways.
"And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights," Obama said during his visit.
Ghana, a cocoa, oil and gold producer, is one of West Africa's most stable countries, with more than 20 years of political transitions through elections following a flurry of coups.
But worry over simmering tensions ahead of polls scheduled for December are threatening the image of Africa's democratic apple of Obama's eye.
"We have done so very well, the international community recognizes that Ghana is the beacon of democracy on the continent but we still have a few challenges to contend with and the thing to do is not to throw your hands into the air and give up but to continue deepening and strengthen your democracy," said Political analyst John Kwesi.
Both Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, have leaned towards discussing issues that polls indicate are more important to voters like the economy and jobs, at the expense of foreign policy.
Romney has made direct reference to Mali and the insecurity a conflict there is causing to the region but what his presidency would mean for Africa is unclear.
Ghana will want to maintain it's reputation of being a bastion of democracy regardless of who wins the US elections.
"If you look at the level at which from 1992 we have participated and this certainly 2012 is going to be the sixth time that we are going to participate in an election, we can clearly see that Ghanaians have adopted this whole concept of democracy, where at the end of the day it is the majority that is giving the idea," said Gordon Tamakloe, an Accra resident.
Ghana's former President, John Atta Mills who died in July after a sudden illness once said, Ghana and the US share the same values of democracy.
The support for Obama seen in 2008 may be less robust this time round but many in Ghana will watch next week's US polls closely and seek to determine how that outcome will affect it's own polls in December. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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