Trinidad Sunday Guardian

OBAMAMANIA IN THE CARIBBEAN:
REGIONAL SUPPORT RAGES UNABATED

      
Dr. Indira Rampersad
 indi2304@yahoo.com

One of the most interesting phenomena of the current race for the White House is the giddy gush of support from the Caribbean for Barack Obama as the preferred candidate for the American presidency.

Intoxicated with Obamamania

Caribbean-Americans across the United States, nationals of CARICOM and the Caribbean Diaspora - Canada, UK, Europe and elsewhere – are all dizzily intoxicated with Obamamania in a frenzied desire for Obama’s election as the next American President.

Even Caribbean artists have thrown in their beat for Obama. Trinidad’s Mighty Sparrow composed a pulsating fusion of steel pan rhythms and his tune, “Barack the Magnificent” with lyrics which powerfully evoke Obama’s position on the Iraq war:

“Irrespective of the world that we now lack/If you want it back then vote Barack because this time we come out to vote/Stop the War/Stop genocide in Darfur. . . . He stood his ground when the war was merely a conception. He said it was wrong so he did not go along.”

According to Sparrow, “He’s no ordinary man.” He describes Obama as “a man of resplendid vision with the wisdom of Solomon, the biblical king of Israel”.

Similarly, reggae dancehall performer, Cocoa Tea, released “Barak Obahama” and calypsonian, Roger George, from Boca Raton, South Florida, is completing a remake of his calypso “One Fine Morning” with new lyrics by fellow Trinidadian, David Rudder, which reinforces Obama’s message of change.

Generally, such intense emotions are difficult to rationalize. But Caribbean nationals and descendents within and outside the region are clear about their reasons for solidarity with the first African-American presidential candidate.

Because He’s Black

Indeed, like Obama himself, some aficionados make no bones of the fact that they are fully backing the Illinois Senator because he is Black and many Afro-Caribbean nationals openly admit that their support for Obama is based on the fact that finally, an ethnic look-alike candidate has emerged.

A female Caribbean-American blogger who calls herself “Caribbean Lionesse” declares that “I have had to examine why am I so invested in and passionate about Obama winning…the first and most obvious reason would be that he is black and so am I. That is definitely what drew me to him initially - that tiny, flickering hope that whispered maybe a black man could actually attain leadership of the most powerful and influential country in the world…”

A Breath of Fresh Air

But the heady Caribbean support for Obama can also be attributed to what his candidacy represents. Upon his nomination, Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, commented that: “It is a most historic development which demonstrates how the United States is changing and has changed... His message of change represents a breath of fresh air... We eagerly await the choice of the people of the United States.”

Dr Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St Kitts-Nevis, shares Mr. Manning’s sentiments. He declares that “A new chapter in history has been written and it is clear the world is changing,… His victory (as the presumptive Democrat) showed that this is the time for a member of a minority group here in the United States. It demonstrates to the world that the barriers of racism, feminism and other ‘isms’ are being broken down…People are realizing that we should look at a person’s capacity and his or her ability to contribute to human development rather than focus on the narrow issue of colour or gender before he or she can be accepted to serve.”

Jamaican dancehall crooner, Cocoa Tee, explains to his fans that “This is not about class nor color, race nor creed. Make no mistake, it’s the changes . . . what the Americans need”. And the Mighty Sparrow asserts that “Barack is not preaching blackness or browness. He’s speaking truth”.

Despite this pervasive Obamamania, however, Caribbean leaders are weary of neglect or misplaced American foreign policy to the Caribbean under Obama, partly related to Bill Clinton’s several past visits to and close association with the region. Regional leaders are imploring Obama not to forget the economic development interests of Caribbean nations and to reconsider the proposed legislation he has before the Senate in Washington which, if enacted, could cripple the offshore financial services sector of the region’s economies.

Indeed, Obama met with Caribbean nationals last Tuesday and announced that if elected, he will forgive all debt owed by Caribbean nations to the United States.

Whether, such bold and lofty promises would be upheld is left to be seen. Meanwhile, the contagious spurt of Obamamania now raging throughout the Caribbean continues unabated.



 

Dr. Indira Rampersad - Email: indi2304@yahoo.com
Lecturer in Political Science/International Relations
Department of Behavioural Sciences
University of the West Indies
St. Augustine
Trinidad, W.I. 

Dr. Indira Rampersad holds a Ph.D in Political Science/ International Relations from the University of Florida. Her research focus is U.S. foreign policy to Cuba. She has published on “Human Rights Groups and U.S. Cuba Policy” in the Peace Review. She is currently a Lecturer in Political Science/International Relations at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, and writes a regular political column for the Trinidad Sunday Guardian and the New York based Guyana Journal.