America Still Cherished Around Africa
- By News Hound
- Published 06/28/2007
- Politics
- Unrated
News Hound
Your servent relentlessly hunting for interesting news stories around the world.
View all articles by News HoundAmerica Still Cherished Around Africa
By EDWARD HARRIS
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Uncle Sam has some African fans.
As first lady Laura Bush tours the world's poorest continent, a new report charting global attitudes shows America's image sagging around the globe - but not in Africa, where the Stars and Stripes still symbolize strength and wealth. In fact, America is more popular in several African nations than even in America.
``The American society is a model of success that is a dream to Ivorian youth,'' says Mohamed Diarra, a 30-year-old in Ivory Coast, where some 88 percent of the population holds a favorable view of the United States - the highest in the world according to Pew Global Attitudes report.
Ivory Coast, Ghana and Kenya hold America in higher regard than the fourth-highest national admirer of America: The United States itself, where about 80 percent of respondents held a favorable view of the country.
Hundreds of people were interviewed face-to-face in each of 10 sub-Saharan African countries - Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The margins of error ranged from 3 to 4 percent.
In most countries, the United States was viewed positively by some three-quarters of adults. Only Tanzania, with 46 percent of respondents expressing positive opinions about America; South Africa with 61 percent; and Uganda with 64 percent bucked the trend.
On a continent where feeding the kids is often a daily struggle, the ``American dream'' of advancing through hard work resonates. The United States also lacks the colonial baggage of other Western nations, while its hip-hop, rap and rhythm and blues provide much of the soundtrack of African life.
Culturally, many Africans feel closer to the United States, where they perceive Africans and their influences have been more closely integrated than in Europe.
Also, gripping poverty leaves fewer Africans with the time or energy for debate on global issues, like the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
American might, despite how it may be applied, is seen even among its detractors as potentially beneficial.
Toward the end of the 1989-2003 civil war in Liberia, citizens in the rebel-besieged capital of Monrovia deposited their dead at the gates of the U.S. Embassy, hoping for protection by American military forces.
Weeks later, the U.S. was instrumental in ending the war in the West African nation, founded in the 1800s by freed American slaves, its ``Lone Star'' flag modeled on the stars and stripes.
America's extensive historical role in Liberia is mostly an exception.
In Ivory Coast, and in many of the former French colonies of West Africa, America played no colonial role.
For many Ivorians, America is the anti-France. Government-allied militia leaders have worn American flag bandannas and peppered their rousing speeches with English.
``For me, a French (person) is an imperialist, a terrorist,'' said Jonas Kouadio, a 27-year-old student. ``And Americans fight against terrorists.''
Even in many sub-Saharan African Muslim lands, America scores high marks.
In Senegal, where Mrs. Bush received a warm welcome at an AIDS hospital this week, some 69 percent of those polled said they held a favorable view of America. In contrast, Indonesia - the world's most-populous Muslim nation - only 29 percent of respondents viewed the United States favorably.
The practice of West African Islam is more mystical and generally less strict than in the Middle East or North Africa. Also, religion hasn't become politicized as it has in other regions.
Senegal is almost uniformly Muslim, but its first and longtime president was a Christian. In Senegal, Muslims don't feel threatened.
That's not the case in Nigeria, however, which has a history of Christian-Muslim violence. About half of its 140 million people practice Islam.
The Pew study released this week found 94 percent of Christian Nigerians viewed America favorably, but only 49 percent of Muslims did.
``I hate America since it started the war against terrorism, because it considers all Muslims as terrorist,'' said Aliyu Yusif, a 31-year-old street trader in the northern Nigerian city of Kano. ``If America can change its policy on terrorism, America will be cherished by all Muslims because of the aid its gives to weaker nations.''
But even in northern Nigeria, as in Senegal, Mali, Ghana and other African countries, buses can be found emblazoned with American flags.
But so can Christian and Muslim sayings as well as stickers bearing the faces of Che Guevera, the pop star Madonna and Osama bin Laden. As symbols, their meanings aren't fixed - or even necessarily hint at anyone's philosophy.
One crippled beggar boy in Dakar, Senegal, wore a T-shirt with a beatific image of bin Laden while recently asking an American for a handout.
Asked about the shirt, the boy looked down quizzically at his chest and replied that it had been given to him, likely from a bale of cast-off clothing sent from overseas.
``What am I supposed to do?'' he asked. ``It's my only shirt!''
---
Associated Press writers Parfait Kouassi in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Salisu Rabiu in Kano, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6743634,00.html
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Uncle Sam has some African fans.
As first lady Laura Bush tours the world's poorest continent, a new report charting global attitudes shows America's image sagging around the globe - but not in Africa, where the Stars and Stripes still symbolize strength and wealth. In fact, America is more popular in several African nations than even in America.
``The American society is a model of success that is a dream to Ivorian youth,'' says Mohamed Diarra, a 30-year-old in Ivory Coast, where some 88 percent of the population holds a favorable view of the United States - the highest in the world according to Pew Global Attitudes report.
Ivory Coast, Ghana and Kenya hold America in higher regard than the fourth-highest national admirer of America: The United States itself, where about 80 percent of respondents held a favorable view of the country.
Hundreds of people were interviewed face-to-face in each of 10 sub-Saharan African countries - Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The margins of error ranged from 3 to 4 percent.
In most countries, the United States was viewed positively by some three-quarters of adults. Only Tanzania, with 46 percent of respondents expressing positive opinions about America; South Africa with 61 percent; and Uganda with 64 percent bucked the trend.
On a continent where feeding the kids is often a daily struggle, the ``American dream'' of advancing through hard work resonates. The United States also lacks the colonial baggage of other Western nations, while its hip-hop, rap and rhythm and blues provide much of the soundtrack of African life.
Culturally, many Africans feel closer to the United States, where they perceive Africans and their influences have been more closely integrated than in Europe.
Also, gripping poverty leaves fewer Africans with the time or energy for debate on global issues, like the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
American might, despite how it may be applied, is seen even among its detractors as potentially beneficial.
Toward the end of the 1989-2003 civil war in Liberia, citizens in the rebel-besieged capital of Monrovia deposited their dead at the gates of the U.S. Embassy, hoping for protection by American military forces.
Weeks later, the U.S. was instrumental in ending the war in the West African nation, founded in the 1800s by freed American slaves, its ``Lone Star'' flag modeled on the stars and stripes.
America's extensive historical role in Liberia is mostly an exception.
In Ivory Coast, and in many of the former French colonies of West Africa, America played no colonial role.
For many Ivorians, America is the anti-France. Government-allied militia leaders have worn American flag bandannas and peppered their rousing speeches with English.
``For me, a French (person) is an imperialist, a terrorist,'' said Jonas Kouadio, a 27-year-old student. ``And Americans fight against terrorists.''
Even in many sub-Saharan African Muslim lands, America scores high marks.
In Senegal, where Mrs. Bush received a warm welcome at an AIDS hospital this week, some 69 percent of those polled said they held a favorable view of America. In contrast, Indonesia - the world's most-populous Muslim nation - only 29 percent of respondents viewed the United States favorably.
The practice of West African Islam is more mystical and generally less strict than in the Middle East or North Africa. Also, religion hasn't become politicized as it has in other regions.
Senegal is almost uniformly Muslim, but its first and longtime president was a Christian. In Senegal, Muslims don't feel threatened.
That's not the case in Nigeria, however, which has a history of Christian-Muslim violence. About half of its 140 million people practice Islam.
The Pew study released this week found 94 percent of Christian Nigerians viewed America favorably, but only 49 percent of Muslims did.
``I hate America since it started the war against terrorism, because it considers all Muslims as terrorist,'' said Aliyu Yusif, a 31-year-old street trader in the northern Nigerian city of Kano. ``If America can change its policy on terrorism, America will be cherished by all Muslims because of the aid its gives to weaker nations.''
But even in northern Nigeria, as in Senegal, Mali, Ghana and other African countries, buses can be found emblazoned with American flags.
But so can Christian and Muslim sayings as well as stickers bearing the faces of Che Guevera, the pop star Madonna and Osama bin Laden. As symbols, their meanings aren't fixed - or even necessarily hint at anyone's philosophy.
One crippled beggar boy in Dakar, Senegal, wore a T-shirt with a beatific image of bin Laden while recently asking an American for a handout.
Asked about the shirt, the boy looked down quizzically at his chest and replied that it had been given to him, likely from a bale of cast-off clothing sent from overseas.
``What am I supposed to do?'' he asked. ``It's my only shirt!''
---
Associated Press writers Parfait Kouassi in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Salisu Rabiu in Kano, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6743634,00.html
