A South African in America: what the Obama victory means for us all

Judy Sikuza

Four days later, my heart is still pounding! Hands shaking, butterflies in the stomach — an unfathomable feeling of awe! How can the election of a president in a country of which I am not a citizen have such an indescribable effect on me? The voice inside of me abruptly responds: “How can his election not have an effect on you Judy?”

“Yes we can” has been the mantra of hope for the Obama campaign. Prior to November 4, I found myself occasionally repeating these words, but not really thinking about what they meant. But after my experience in New York City on election night, and after hearing president elect Obama make his victory speech, this campaign slogan became a concrete reality for me.

A group of friends and I were watching CNN at our resident hall’s TV lounge. As the results came in, excitement started to brew. Was this really going to happen? Would history truly be made in our generation? Was the change that America and the world longed for truly going to come to fruition? As all those questions hovered in our minds, suddenly, CNN announced: “Breaking news! Barack Obama elected president!” The whole room went berserk! We all started singing “Obama! Obama! Obama!” The whole group then ran down towards Harlem and hundreds of other Columbia University students joined us. “Obama! Obama! Obama!”

We joined the march begun by the people of Harlem. People of all races and gender were dancing, hugging and singing “Obama! Obama! Obama!” The streets of Harlem were so full of people that cars could not even move. So they decided to join the celebrations and hooted as we kept shouting “Obama! Obama! Obama!” We then took the celebrations to Times Square and celebrated until the break of dawn. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.

Being South African, I can almost equate this experience to how people must have felt in 1994 when former president Nelson Mandela was elected. I was only eight years old during those elections, so I don’t believe I fully understood the gargantuan meaning of his election. We ran around the streets as little kids singing “Mandela is president,” but back then, I did not fully appreciate what it meant both for South Africa and the world at large. But now, it seems I have been given the opportunity to fully experience the hope that South Africans and the world must have had in 1994 and it is beyond comprehension.

As president-elect Obama delivered his speech, I found tears streaming down my face. He emphasised the importance of unity and pointed out that the road ahead would be steep, but that together as a people, progress and prosperity for all would be achieved. He also noted the contribution of young people in this election – disproving the myth of apathetic young people. His devotion to his family and his love for the nation were poignant. I was further moved as I saw the sincerity and humility in his eyes as he said the words: “Yes we can!”

So what did this historical event mean for me, especially being a South African who plans to go back home after my studies and effect meaningful change? President-elect Obama’s election showed me that it is possible for people from all races and genders to come together as one for a cause that is bigger than themselves and the differences that separate them. In the end, we all bleed red, so I don’t understand why we let irrelevant factors separate us when they don’t really have to. Secondly, this election showed me the power of grass roots level interventions. The funding for the Obama campaign began with small donations of $10 or $20 from the normal man on the street. These contributions played a salutary role to the success of his campaign. As much as I support macro level interventions, Americans have just shown that micro level interventions should never be undermined as the collection of the whole can have a colossal impact on the final results. Thirdly, I was inspired by president elect Obama’s honesty that the road ahead would be steep, especially considering the current economic crisis. Often leaders like to promise the sun, moon and stars, but Obama was honest about the tough times ahead. What I truly appreciated though was his call for the people of America as a whole to join him in the fight to effect change. He was clear that change would not occur through government intervention alone, but that every citizen would have to play his/ her part through service and together rebuild the country. I couldn’t agree more with that call and my views on citizen participation were expressed in my previous article titled “South Africans, here is an inconvenient truth”. (If you want more information about my opinion on citizen participation, you can read that).

It is very easy for all of us to be excited about the victory of the likes of former president Nelson Mandela and president-elect Obama. These leaders are those beacons of hope that we all need and long for. But as President Obama said, the real work begins now. Now is the time that we get our hands and feet in the mud and start digging. The slogan is not “Yes I can!” It is “Yes WE can!” The minute we lose sight of our role in seeing the desired change, then this victory and similar victories to come would be null and void.

These are interesting times for the nation of South Africa as the election of the new president is at its eleventh hour. We too as a nation will have to come together in unity. Obama did not win the elections because only black people went to vote. He won the elections because the people of America went out to vote, regardless of race. I pray that the people of South Africa will come together and vote for the party that they believe can move us forward as one and not vote based on colour or gender. The formation of a new political party and the controversies surrounding such a move bring a new set of expectations to the election process that is about to occur. Whoever the people of South Africa get behind and elect as the next president, may it be the person who inspires us to believe that together we can do it. Perhaps South Africa is also ready for change that we can believe in that will deliver results and not just idle talk.

I know some friends from back home fear what these upcoming elections will bring. But I say let us not fear. Fear is:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Let us continue holding on to the beacon of hope that the likes of Tata Mandela lit up for us. Let us unite, let us choose wisely and let us go and vote so that when April 2009 comes, we can all proudly stand together and say: “Yes, WE can!”

Judy Sikuza is busy with her Master’s degree at Columbia University in New York. She finds delight and value in learning from those who are different from her. Besides dreaming of becoming a rock star, her pursuit to effect change lies in her five seemingly dichotomous passions: business, sport, drama, politics and education (training and development). However, she has realised that the specificity of the medium is not important since there is a common vision behind all her passions. This vision is to emancipate and empower people to reach their full potential.