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 Posts Tagged ‘Obama’10:45pm EDT: 216 Votes for Health Care Reform!Sunday, March 21st, 2010
After 100 years of presidents trying to push some form of health care reform, a comprehensive health care bill finally became a reality - even if it is not as comprehensive as some would have it. But a start’s a start - and Rep. Bart Stupak is a hero. The White House is Streaming The Jobs Summit - LIVE!Thursday, December 3rd, 2009All of the breakout sessions for the White House Jobs Summit are being streamed live right now at the Whitehouse.gov site. Go there now and find out about your job future: Audio: Obama’s Arrival in Cape CoastMonday, July 13th, 2009The ArrivalSunday, July 12th, 2009 Arriving into Cape Coast was like arriving at carnival. People were in the streets, roads were blocked, police were on guard directing traffic and everybody was breathless with anticipation of the President’s arrival. When the helicopters started to fly above I pulled out my cell phone and called my Dad. I wanted to share this moment with him from the comfort of his living room in Wilmington, Delaware. Women carrying fresh fruit strategically balancing platters on their heads sold their wears to the crowd. Tee shirts, dancing, water bottles and cameras, we all waited for the Obama’s to arrive.
Bob Reid of The Africa Channel who has partnered with Ebony to capture this historic event on film was on the prowl. He has a tiger’s eye for what makes a good image. He instinctively knows where to find the next great angle or soundbite and I have learned on this journey to step back and let the master do his thing. Bob and I are engaged in two different creative processes. He works hard to capture the images that speak for themselves and to that end he uses angles, light, and color to tell the story. I create imagery through the translation of the physical world into the written world. I have to take in the moment and then step back to create a panorama that is syncopated not by soundbites but by words.
I can’t wait to see the film documentary that The Africa Channel is creating of this historic event. Our incredible crew Nii, Jason, Abass, Michael, and Evans are also wide eyed with anticipation. The younger and slimmer ones among us manage to slip into the crowds which were about 20 rows deep to get to the barricades and position themselves to get the best glimpse of President Obama, the Beast, and anything else going on. Cheers upon cheers and the sound of the drums let us know the moment of his arrival. The crowd moved almost in sync to the beat of the drums…..President of the United States, a son of Africa had arrived…. and as quickly as he appeared, he vanished into the castle for a private tour.
Feeling Home on The Road to Cape CoastSunday, July 12th, 2009
Today we followed President Obama to Cape Coast where he toured the slave castle and met with the Paramount Chief of Cape Coast. The journey to Cape Coast was a magical moment unto itself. Driving along the two lane coastal highway I found myself stopping to wonder about my connection to Ghana. For the first time I wondered if my ancestors might have traveled on the very ground I was exploring. Things here, especially when you get out of the hustling city of Accra, become strangely familiar. Familiar not by scenery but by sensation. For example, I noticed that the roadside vendors sold ginger snaps, a life long favorite of my 92 year old father. One lady sitting in the doorway of her brother’s business looked like the reincarnation of my older half sister. She even smiled at me the same way my sister did when she was alive. Can a place be so strangely familiar that it feels like home? In many ways my logic disconnected itself from my brain and attached itself to my spirit today. With each passing mile we encountered Ghanaians wearing hats, playing music, eating food. When I would greet them they simply smiled and said “Obama!.” Obama whose message to Ghanaian Parliament and the people of Africa was more symbolic than tactical has become a powerful unifying force for Africa. I just hope beyond hope that he can facilitate the change that Africa is yearning for. But how can one man from whom we expect so much do enough for Africa or Africa-America? When you visit Africa all the commercials with the sweet, angelic faces of malnourished children dotted with the hollowed eyes of hopelessness begin to find a broader perspective. Kids will play anywhere, in the street, in a polluted river, on a battlefield, meanwhile misery awaits their return. The villages of Ghana are no exception.
Ebony and the Africa ChannelFriday, July 10th, 2009In case you missed the first post, for the next several days, EbonyJet.com in association with The Africa Channel will be live blogging the trip of President Barack Obama to Ghana. Writer Toby Thompkins and The Africa Channel’s Bob Reid will report live from the ground, while I fill in occasional political details from the Whote House side. Come back frequently for new updates or subscribe to the Big Ideas RSS Feed. Texting Obama in AfricaFriday, July 10th, 2009Obama’s White House outreach team continues to use their technological savvy to communicate with supporters - even in Ghana. Across Africa, cell phones are the technology of choice. Knowing that, the White House has issues a series of short codes for people in several nations to text the President during his trip.
- Eric Easter Meeting Rita MarleyFriday, July 10th, 2009After working some angles, I had the profound opportunity to interview the great Rita Marley, who has been a resident of Ghana for years now (video of the interview to come). Rita had wonderful things to say about the Obama visit to Accra. “The First Family of Reggae” was invited to the White House just a few months ago by the Obamas. When I asked Rita to think of one Marley song that she felt best described the Obama Effect on Africa and the world she said, “Africa Unite.” Rita has invited me to attend her birthday party later this month….wouldn’t miss it for the world! - Toby Thompkins Watching the Arrival - from AfarFriday, July 10th, 2009At dusk this evening, I was standing seaside at my favorite cafe in Accra, Ghana called Osekan, when all of a sudden the sky lit up with beautiful fireworks and people started cheering around me and shouting O-BA-MAAAAA O-BAAAA-MAAAAA! It was really happening and all of Accra stood still to watch what many people have billed as Obama’s homecoming. It was virtually impossible to catch a glimpse of the Presidential caravan but the radio stations gave blow by blow details of the arrival. Thousands of people gathered around the airport to watch the arrival of Air Force One hoping to catch a glimpse of the Obama caravan and his presidential car called “The Beast.” My friend Evans and I pulled our car over to the side of the road in hopes that the caravan might pass by us. We stood under a BIG billboard that had a picture of Ghanaian President John Atta Mills and President Obama and the words “AKWABBA” (welcome) plastered along the bottom. Diasporan Communities Send AidFriday, July 10th, 2009
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