Communications for Development

change we can believe in

On historic days, the things we say to each other have more weight.  My mother: I wish your father could have seen this. My friend Christine via text: He made it, can’t describe the feeling.  As a Kenyan I do not take peace and democracy for granted.   Gaylord: I was in a hotel room in South Africa crying my eyeballs out. Me, I was home watching the returns on TV, no street partying here, but text messages brought my family and friends together.   I need to get a new phone, the picture text from my sister of her Barack Obama cupcakes did not turn out.  Even my friends in Zimbabwe have forgot their problems for today.

The Kenyans declared it a national holiday, and they are dancing in the streets– even better that we get to see it on television.  There were 6 babies born in one Kenyan hospital Nov. 4;  4 boys were named Barack, and two girls were named Michelle.   Kenya is celebrating and waiting for its ‘Obama bonus’ in imporved bilateral realtions. At work everyone was sleepy, but saying:  even though it is raining today, the sun is shining in New York. I hear they are selling copies of todays NYTimes on e-bay. I bought one from a hawker on the street corner, old style NYC.

The campaign was a genius in communications, it was all about core values – respect, honesty, family, hope, equality, dignity, unity.  On top of these timeless messages it layered technology,  good old fashioned community organizing and new social networking.   Some of the media I liked on election day: a BBC site printing text messages from anxious citizens & a NYT page where you click on the emotions you feel at the time — anxious and hope were the winning words on Nov. 4.   Today the emotion is joy, a word we don’t use that much, barring Christmas cards, and rarely so universally.   So much love all around, like the people who live in Obama, Japan chanting “Yes we can” in their thick accents.

In worship this morning, one prayer was offered from El Salvador for Obama and America, it was that we could:  “Learn how not to be the owners of the world.” Amen to that.