Obamaism on Åland

”Obama is Åland’s man” was the lead story on the Åland Tidningen, 23rd October 2008 edition. The story, which was jointly written by Erika Elfsberg and Petter Lobråten, clearly indicated the presence of Obamaism on the Island.

Like all other parts of the word, the USA 2008 elections is also a subject of discussion on Åland. A couple of months ago, I was at the Paf Casino in Mariehamn. Surprisingly, an old man came to where I was standing and said to me;

“A black man is going to be the president of America. That is great and I am sure you like it”

With Obama, as the President of the USA, the world will surely succeed in overcoming the issue of race. Bigotry and racism among people, will become a thing of the past and as Bob Marley said, “ people will no longer be judged by the colour of their skin.”

On Åland

Not many Africans are living on Åland compared to other regions on the mainland ( Finland ). Currently there are more Kenyans, than any other nationality. Some of them are from the same tribe as Obama. They are called the Luo and are also found in Eastern Uganda and Northern Tanzania. The Luo are the third largest ethnic group in Kenya and they became so popular with the emergence of Obama and Raila Odinga, as the Prime Minister of the country’s national unity government.

Obama’s African connection

Obama’s dad was the main subject in his memoir, “dreams from my father.” He was born in Kenya in 1936 and at the age of 23 he moved to the USA to attend Hawaii University. On the 21st February 1961, he married a fellow student Ann Dunham. It was in the same year, 4th August that Barack Obama Jnr was born. In 1963, his parents divorced. It was at the age of 10 that he was lucky to see his dad again.

Barack visited his Kenyan relatives almost three times. During his last visit, he traveled with his family and donated $14,000 to an AIDS orphan care facility. He has used his personal connections to appeal for good governance in Kenya. HIV/AIDS in Africa, avian flu, the genocide in Darfur, the prospects of Africa becoming a terrorist haven, the impact of climate change on Africa, rule of law etc are issues that were high on Obama’s agenda during his last tour of Africa.

Veronica Thörnroos

Veronica is among the influencial women on the Island, who disclosed their support for Obama on the Åland Tidningen. One of the Africans I spoke to said, he wasn’t surprised with Veronica’s stand. When asked why, he responded saying:-

“She was my teacher and I can remember having very interesting and objective conversations with her.”

The same was said of Carina Aaltonen, also a popular figure on Åland.