Opinion – The meek flyby: Silences and reactions

Tarikua Getachew (@tarikawipeace)

Obama and My Mother

I hesitated between hundred ways to begin this piece.

I wanted to write the Kenyans have treated President Obama like their runners do our runners on track: they wear us out but we still win. But then I figured nah… the Kenyans, more brothers to us than to Americans, can’t be responsible for Obama.

I considered starting with an anecdote of the salesman who said too much and lost his sale. You know? The guy you get into his shop, he tries to sell you stuff, tells you all the good things, actually manages to convince you to buy it and then, just when you were about to pay, asks when your baby is due when all you have is a weight problem.