Barack Obama and African diasporas : dialogues and dissensions / Paul Tiyambe Zeleza.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zeleza, Paul Tiyambe, 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African diaspora.

Obama, Barack.

Africa--Foreign relations--United States.

Africa.

International relations.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Africa.

Africa--Foreign relations.

Physical Description:

ix, 246 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK : Ayebia Clarke Pub. ; Athens : Ohio University Press ; [London] : Arts Council England, 2009.

Summary:

An active blogger on The Zeleza Post , from which these essays are drawn, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza provides a genuinely critical engagement with Africa's multiple worlds. With a blend of erudition and lively style, Zeleza writes about the role ofAfrica and Africans in the world and the interaction of the world with Africa. In the title essay, Zeleza analyzes the significance of the election of a member of the African diaspora to the presidency of the United States. He also addresses Africa's urgent political concerns: China's role in Africa, South Africa's difficulties in making the transition to a postapartheid society, the agony of Zimbabwe, and a discussion of Pan-Africanism, its history and contemporary challenges. Other posts introduce the reader to the rhythms of daily life, including football and other leisure activities, in capturing the different aspects of Africa. An original and respected voice, Zeleza engages the reader in a series of passionate public conversations on issues and events of utmost importance to the globalized world. He deserves a wide readership.

Contents:

1 President Obama: America Finally Grows Up 13

2 The Republicanization of America: An African's Observations on the 2004 US Elections 21

3 The Agony of Zimbabwe 29

4 The Political Wrath of Hurricane Katrina 35

5 The Postcolonial Uprising in France 43

6 Madam President: The Changing Gender Dynamics of African Politics 51

7 Cartoons as Weapons of Mass Provocation 59

8 Angelina Jolie Discovers Africa 67

9 The Arab-Israeli Conflict Revisited: Back to the Madness of War 75

10 Clouds Over the Rainbow Nation: South Africa and the Zuma Saga 83

11 The Power, Possibilities and Perils of African Nationalisms 91

12 Barack Obama and African Diasporas: Dialogues and Dissensions 101

13 In Defence of the New Diasporas and Brain Mobility 111

14 Love, Lies, Wolfowitz, and the World Bank 123

15 The Class of 2007: The Rising Costs of Middle Class Certification 133

16 Dancing with the Dragon: Africa's Courtship with China 143

17 The Contemporary Relevance of Pan-Africanism 153

18 The 2007 Kenya Elections: Holding a Nation Hostage to a Bankrupt Political Class 165

19 The Africa Cup of Nations: For the Love of Football and Leisure 177

20 Remembering Martin Luther King: Beyond the Sanitization of a Dreamer 183

21 The Political Wonder That is Obama 189

22 The Whiteness of Airports 195

23 The Racialized Complexes of Xenophobia 201

24 Africa's Global Summits: The Rise of the Continent or Back to the Scramble? 205

25 The Curse of Oil Returns and the Search for New Energy Futures 209

26 The Dawn of the Obama Era: In Memory of the Ancestors 215

27 Waiting for the Obama Dividend: The Future of Africa-US Relations 231.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780821418963

0821418963

9780955507960

0955507960

OCLC:

320802310