50 years from now, when you look back

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On the 3rd of August afternoon the President held a town hall with 115 young leaders from more than 40 countries across Africa — it was the kind of White House event under Obama that surprises you, catching you off guard with its honesty.

Source: www (dot) whitehouse (dot) gov/blog

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Steven was born and raised in Dar es Salaam, and moved to Germany for his studies. He graduated with a BSc. in Physics (Jacobs University Bremen), and then a MSc. in Engineering Physics (Technische Universität München). Steven is currently pursuing a PhD in Physics (growth of coatings/multilayers for next generation lithography reflective optics) in the Netherlands. He’s thinking about starting his own business in a few years; something high-tech related. At Vijana FM, Steven discusses issues critical to youths in Tanzania, music, sport and a host of other angles. He’s also helping Vijana FM with a Swahili translation project.

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  1. Thank you for posting this, SN. Excellent piece.

    I am very happy that direct contact was made between President Obama and these young, influential leaders who will be able to translate his message not just through word of mouth, but through their work and cooperation.

    However, I do not think the message is entirely new. The United States has, through many channels, pursued development projects with many countries in Africa for years. The problems, as Obama pointed out (see some quotes below), exist on our end. The urgent call for improvements that I could gain from his discussion were in the areas of: Infrastructure, and general openness (with media, and with governance).

    Some memorable quotes:

    “Africa’s future also belongs to those who take charge of that kind of transparency and are serious about anti-corruption measures.”

    “If all you’re doing is talking to old people like me, then you’re not reaching the people who are going to be providing the energy, the new initiatives, the new ideas.”

    “In some of your countries, freedom of the press is still restricted. There’s no reason why that has to be the case.”

    “The question is for young leaders like yourselves, where do you want to have the most impact?”

    “I think the most important thing that maybe young people here can do is to promote the values of openness, transparency, honest debate, civil disagreements within your own groups and your own organizations, because that forms good habits.”

    “Oftentimes, women are not getting the same voice in African countries, despite the fact that they are carrying more than their fair share of burdens.”

    “All countries look out for their interests.”

    “Whatever governance structures take place in Somalia have to be aware of the tribal and traditional structures and clan structures that exist within Somalia.” (Sidenote: This can be applied to many countries in Africa, not just Somalia)

    For those that can’t access the video, here is the transcript.

    In addition, here is the transcript to Hillary Clinton’s remarks.

    Thanks again, SN.

    Reply

  2. Man, if you continue commenting like this, what are we supposed to say, then? LOL

    All, I am saying is: I agree with you on the fact that Obama didn’t say anything new in that speech. But we cant underestimate his influence on youths; I was happy to hear some blunt opinions of his on various issues affecting the Motherland.

    Did I learn anything new from this speech? No.

    Was I inspired? Hell, yeah! And that’s a leader right there.

    Reply

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