"Obama: Savior of the world… and America?"
January 14, 2009
This image from Dorothy's Gallery pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Many French people I talked to seem to have as much invested in an Obama presidency as we Americans do.
- These works from artist Cyril Anguelidis are part of the “Barack Obama President A United World” exposition at Paris’s Dorothy’s Gallery. The one on the left is titled “Super Oba;” the one on the right is simply called “Yes We Can.” Both have been used as posters promoting this stellar exposition through Jan. 26 — and they capture the world’s hope for Barack Obama’s presidency.
“Obama: Savior of the world… and America?” So read the translation from a recent front-page story on a French publication during my time in Paris, the second half of my solo 40th birthday adventure.
This headline may be taking the “hope” message to an extreme, but what a wonderful time to be an American abroad again.
And what a great time to be an AFRICAN-AMERICAN out in the world.
Since the election of Barack Obama, who’ll be the United States’ first president of acknowledged African descent, folks all over the globe certainly see America in a brand-new light. FINALLY, by electing this black man, we lived up to the platitudes and ideals the nation had been claiming for more than 200 years. We all saw the celebrations beamed from ‘round the world on Election Night – people hugging and crying in Australia, dancing in the streets in Kenya, celebrating after staying up all night long across Europe. But until you’re out in these countries, meeting “real people” who continue to gush about our president-elect, it doesn’t quite hit you just how negatively America has impacted the world over the past eight years – and how much HOPE people have invested in his impending presidency. Just like many of us in the States, they can’t wait for Jan. 20! And we American globetrotters no longer have to be apologists for our country’s policies, or ashamed of our president.
What’s heartening to me as a Chicagoan that now, when I mention my Midwest hometown, the first thing people around the world say is, “OBAMA!!” It’s no longer about Michael Jordan or gangster Al Capone. No, it is the Hawaiian-born former senator who is truly Chicago’s, and the world’s, rock star. Back in May, I remember talking (in terribly broken French) to a housekeeper in my small Parisian hotel who was thrilled about Obama’s chances. My mom and I took a Mediterranean cruise in late November and met people in Italy, in Turkey, in Greece, who couldn’t be prouder of America’s presidential choice. Even an Indonesian waiter on the cruise ship beamed, knowing that Barack Hussein Obama spent some early growing-up years in his native land. This American president truly belongs to the world.
During this birthday trip to France, I had incredibly thoughtful conversations with Europeans about Obama’s election, with them asking I had been “in the park” (my mom and I were!) on that magical Nov. 4th night in Chicago. It happened in Ventimiglia, Italy, where Ristorante Miramare’s young signore and I bonded over talk about the incoming president. In Villefranche, where a waiter at Le Cosmo Restaurant saluted me with, “Yes, we can!” after learning I was from the Windy City. I discussed Obama with my “magic hands” masseur in Paris. With a genteel older Frenchwoman dining next to me at famed tea house Ladureé. At Chez Vong, my favorite Chinese restaurant in Paris, where the waiters instantly piped up, “OBAMA!” after hearing my hometown. And during a home-cooked meal in Villefranche with three wonderful new friends from Ireland (on my 40th birthday, no less!), Olivia, Paddy and Grainne talked at length about our hopes and our fears for Obama’s presidency, one we truly believe can change the world.
The global nature of this movement truly hit home for me at Dorothy’s Gallery in Paris. A tucked-away enclave in the bustling Bastille quartier , the gallery is owned by Dorothy Polley, an expatriate American who lives in France. During my stay in Paris, I checked out “Barack Obama President A United World,” the gallery’s second and marvelously uplifting “exposition” on the globe-changing election of this man. As you’ll see here, it featured paintings, photographs, sculptures, and even videos from 30 artists around the world — including African-American artist Ealy Mays – on the impact Obama’s ascent has had on the world. It should humble American leaders – and us as regular Americans – that the decisions we make and the votes we cast have more impact on our fellow world citizens than we’ll ever know. And that’s another reason travel is so key in this age of shrinking borders. Rather than just viewing the world’s reaction on CNN, we get to shake hands with it, discuss it, and see it up close in people’s hopeful eyes.
YES, God bless America!
Filed under: Celebrating the big 4-0 in France
11 Comments Leave a Comment
1.
Julia Browne | January 14, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Hi Maureen,
Love to hear your elation on traveling as an African-American these days. So true it’s been a bit of a dodgy risk for so long.
Re the Obama exhibit at Dorothy’s Gallery in Paris, did you happen to notice the piece by Ealy Mays. He’s the only African-American that was invited to submit work – a bit of a disappointment for the other hard-working, opinionated and very proud Black artists in Paris.
Ealy is one of our tour guides, too – for Walking The Spirit Tours. Give us a shout next time you’re heading for Paris and we’ll hook you up with a tour of Black history there from an artist’s viewpoint.
Also, if you’d like to exchange blog links – mine is http://www.spiritofblackparis.blogspot.com – I’d love to add you to my recommended list.
Julia
2.
kellyecarter | January 15, 2009 at 2:01 am
Thanks for sharing images from the gallery – although portraying Obama as superman is setting him up to fail. We all want him to excel but he’s going to need time. While I think Americans get that, I don’t know if the rest of the world does. What’s your sense? Our country didn’t get to its current state overnight or even in two years. Change is gonna come – but we need patience. In the meantime, let’s hope too many people don’t learn how to pronounce Blagojevich ’s name or else you’ll have to hear that too when you travel and tell people you’re from Chicago. LOL
3.
urbantravelgirl | January 15, 2009 at 11:40 am
Bienvenue, Julia — glad you found my blog!! You know, I don’t remember specific artists’ names from most of the Obama exhibit… but what did Ealy’s piece look like? I’ll see if I photographed it… I’d love to add it to the blog if I did! Thanks so much for reminding me about Walking the Spirit Tours — I’ll be sure to sign up for one next time I’m in wonderful Paris!
Yes, I’d also love to exchange blog links! I’ll add you to mine and PLEASE add me to Spirit of Black Paris!
4.
urbantravelgirl | January 20, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Kelly, I really DO get the sense that people overseas — at least the ones I’ve talked to, anyway — have such a strong trust and hope in Obama. In a positive way, it’s almost a DESPERATE trust after eight years of Bush. Because U.S. policies have such a direct impact on the lives of folks in countries all over the globe, they really are hoping that on Jan. 20, the world is literally reborn. I can’t imagine being Obama and facing the high hopes of billions of people… he’s going to need a LOT of prayer!
5.
Lisa Lenoir | January 22, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Good post, Maureen. When I was in Mykonos, Greece, a man said, Obama! It blew me away. But I also think it gives us a chance to put a different face on the black experience overseas. A woman from France in Greece couldn’t understand how my friends and I were traveling and wondered if our trips were subsidized by the government. They had never seen middle class black folks before. Our image has been so distorted.
6.
tribal tattoo designs | June 23, 2010 at 6:32 am
Good work ! Keep us posting, you are very good writer.
7.
Kim | June 26, 2010 at 9:13 am
Hi Maureen,
I’m way late commenting on this post however, in view of the past few months of Obama’s presidency, I think the American pulblic’s expectations of what can actually be done is very high and their patience to see the changes come about is very short. My fear is that in all of our excitement we may have elevated President Obama so high that if he doesn’t achieve all that we think he should, he may end up a one-term President. I would hate that.
8.
urbantravelgirl | June 29, 2010 at 12:53 am
Kim,
AMEN to everything you just said! I can’t tell you how ticked off I am with folks in this country — not just the right-wing Tea Party lunatics, but the so-called “liberals.” It took Dubya and Cheney and Co. eight LONG years to completely wreck the nation, but these impatient folks expected Obama to undo generations of damage the day after he was sworn in. I say this all the time, and I believe it even more now: America doesn’t deserve Barack Obama. And if these folks elect another dufus (i.e., a Sarah Palin type), I’m going to make good on my vow to relocate to a nation with better sense!
Maureen
9.
Kim | July 1, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Ok Maureen,
I was holding back on my last, trying to be politically correct but,…OMG!!!!….. what is WRONG with people!!!!! I feel like I just wanna jump up and down and stamp my feet like a crazy lady. I fully expected some push-back about having a Black President. I just can’t understand the lengths to which folks are actively working against him and his success. As enlightened as we appeared to have been by electing President Obama to office, Americans still have sooo much hate in them. Geez, can’t we cut the man some slack. My bags have been packed for months and my hand is on the door knob. I know I’m not so naive as to believe that by living in Europe I won’t have to deal with racism at all. Maybe I’m just hoping that it’s less palpable.
10.
urbantravelgirl | July 1, 2010 at 6:16 pm
DON’T get me started, Kim! You and I will probably meet each other at the airport on our way outta here!
11.
Yoshio Guerra | January 8, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Do you have a presence on facebook? I can’t seem to find Urban Travel Girl » “Obama: Savior of the world… and America?” on there and I would like to connect with you there. I like your writing style, thanks Yoshio Guerra
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