African-Americans: Have They Forsaken Us?

Like most of you, I still remember when Barrack Obama came to Ghana on a visit. The country was charged with euphoria. Ghanaians, obviously, were happy to have this man in their midst, even if brief. To tell the truth, I wasn’t impressed by the visit. Perhaps, I missed its significance. Then again, I have never been an Obama admirer. I respect him as a man, but this is how far it goes. Therefore, whilst Ghanaians were screaming out his name in jubilation, I just didn’t get it. What Ghanaians don’t know or want to know is that Ghana wasn’t Obama’s first choice. Initially, Obama opted for Kenya, his father’s land of birth. However, this decision was revoked, when Kenya was considered unsafe. So, upon Bill Clinton’s advice, Obama decided to come over to Ghana. Nigeria, for some reason, was out of the question. Obama, I believe, was advised to bypass Nigeria for Ghana due to the Niger delta conflict. Though, I could be wrong.

Anyway, more than a year and a half has passed since Obama came on a visit. During a speech in our parliament, he said that--from now on, Ghana would play a pivotal role in world affairs. He continued on to say that decisions, which affects our today’s world, wouldn’t only be made by the West but also in consultation with our dear country. When he said that, I saw Atta Mills smiling in delight. To me, personally, I wondered what he was smiling about. Perhaps, if he knew that Obama was just sweet-talking, he would’ve wiped that grin off his face. Obama, without a doubt, touched on so many important issues. However, not once did he suggest that African-Americans should come help Ghana. Of course, this took me by surprise. I was stunned, to say the least. Folks, we all know that Ghana could use some kind of help from African-Americans.

In America, there are so many Black millionaires, whose monies could be invested in Ghana’s economy. However, I don’t see them coming to the motherland to invest. There are so many African-Americans, who are versed in science and technology. Needless to say, I don’t see any of them bringing their acquired scientific and technological know-how over to the motherland. You have your Black doctors and nurses, who could help our country in more ways than one. Yet you cannot find any of them around here in Ghana. As of the moment, Cuban doctors and nurses are the ones helping us heal our sick. Chinese investors are the ones keeping our economy afloat. The Bill Gates foundation is doing so much good on the African continent, and he isn’t even an African. To me, it seems that non-Africans have the interests of Africa more at heart than African-Americans. Who, to me, are Africans in America, and therefore should--at least, show some concern.

The likes of Oprah Winfrey, Russel Simmons, Maya Angelou, Tiger woods, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell could mean so much for the development of Africa. After all, these are individuals who could inspire a person to aim for greatness. Most importantly, these are Black people, who have achieved success in the White world. In my opinion, these are the very kind of people who could catapult Africa to great heights. Mind you, Africans, who have never left the shores of Africa, cannot transform Africa for the better. It just cannot be done. They simply don’t know any better, and most of them are too naive. This is the reason why they’re easily duped by outsiders. Right now, Atta Mills is out searching for investors. Just about anybody who could help move the country forward. I am sure that he would like to ask our African-American brothers and sisters to come over and help. But the question is; would they come, or have they forsaken us completely?


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Source:
The Emperor