Obama's Victory and A Visit

On Wednesday, November 5, 2008, I awoke at 4am to listen to the Voice of America in order to find out the polls were closing and Obama was ahead in many key states. By 6am he was giving his acceptance speech in Grant Park. History was in the making. Here in Botswana, as in other parts of Africa, people were aware of the possibility that an African American would be the next American president. So I went around the school with a bag of sweets celebrating with everyone I knew, and in some cases with those I did not know. Being from Chicago and having worked for Obama in his US Senate race, it was a wonderful victory. I was so happy we could celebrate on both sides of the ocean. It could also bring change after years of war around the world. Happy Days!!!

Then I had the good fortune of a visit by my friends, Ken and Martha Simonsen, who visited me after a tour of South Africa. Being professors of philosophy and English, they did me and the school a favour by planning excellent presentations to history and English teachers. Ken discussed Nietzsche and the way his philosophy was used and misused by Hitler to create the concept of a superior race. His views were thought provoking and gave the history department additional information for teaching modern world history. The group also compared persons in African history who represented some of the characteristics which Nietzsche had in mind. Martha presented to the English department on strategies for teaching remedial English as well as ideas for teaching Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and poetry. The member of the department went away with lots of ideas and great appreciation for her ideas and approaches. In both cases the teachers here saw and experienced master teachers and their methods of teaching in the US which contrast to the more preaching style of learning in Botswana.

After having taken advantage of the Simonsen’s teaching skills and experience, they invited me to join them in Johannesburg for a long, welcomed weekend. We saw some old friends we knew from Zimbabwe and caught up on what they had been doing. Then we learned in more detail about the long fight against apartheid by visiting several excellent museums and Soweto, a township that played an important role in the conflict. I even saw the museum where the first student killed in a protest against learning in Afrikaans took place. The day is now celebrated on June 16th as the day of the African child in Botswana and other countries. In addition, we saw an outstanding performance of Mozart’s Magic Flute, played on marimbas and including African music and dance. It was a most memorable time which went all too quickly.

And now as a write this is early December, I would like to wish everyone a good holiday season wherever you may be. As usual, I invite you to add comments and questions. I for one have lots to be grateful for in the New Year.