An Open Letter to President Obama

8th July, 2009.

Dear President Obama,

You are expected in our beloved country this Friday and already Obama-mania has taken over Ghana. To be fair Obama-mania is not solely because of your impending visit. Obama-mania began when you became the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominee. On that fateful day in November when you were voted into office many Ghanaians did not sleep. I was one of the unfaithful who went to bed but I instinctively woke up during the night and checked CNN to find that you were going to become the 44th President of the United States of America. I guess it is only fit that we as Ghanaians felt so involved with the American electoral process. After all, your country is the “World’s Policeman”. At least that is how it feels some of the time…

I know you are travelling with your wife, Michelle but the whole country appears to be excited about YOU and not the First Lady. Hmm, I wonder if the levels of excitement would have been the same if she was President.

You can’t imagine the fuss your impending visit has caused. Let me tell you some:

Listening to Ghana’s Joy FM yesterday, it was reported that the chiefs of the Ogua Traditional Area in the Central Region had declared that no funerals are to take place on Saturday the 11th of July. The Chiefs in their wisdom and foresight anticipate that the Obama motorcade will drive through their municipality and they want no hindrance in the President’s way. Instead the Chiefs plan to hold a durbar which Obama may view as his motorcade speeds by. I am wondering if they have not heard that Obama’s helicopter will be transporting him to Cape Coast direct from Accra. I also feel sorry for all those who have been planning funerals for months (in some cases even years) and scheduled the funeral for Saturday. In Ghana, funerals are a big deal. We definitely do not subscribe to the notion, “let the dead bury the dead”.

A new organisation called “Friends of Obama” seems to have sprung up overnight. Seriously you will be impressed with the efficiency of this organisation, no one seems to know where they sprung up from but they have erected posters, bill boards and banners all over the country welcoming you “home”. Please make sure you take time to look out of your speeding motorcade and you are sure to catch some of their handiwork. This group has easily spent several hundred thousand dollars to celebrate you. I caught the tail end of an interview with the coordinator of “Friends of Obama” and she says all the money spent on the billboards, etc was raised from friends and individuals. How I wish some of these individuals would donate some of their dollars to my organisation (The African Women’s Development Fund)

If I am to continue listing all that is being done in your name – songs have been produced, special flags featuring your face, there are even some who think that the fuel shortage is because your advance party has emptied our stock – this will become “So Long a Letter” so let me get straight to the point of this letter.

A few weeks ago an enterprising journalist visited the offices of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). His mission? To find out what the impact of Michelle Obama’s visit to Ghana will be for women’s rights organisations. Our first reaction (a colleague and I) was amusement. What? He was expecting impact after a flying visit by the First Lady of the USA? Impact on the women’s movement in Ghana? After I had ceased to be amused I began to see the possibilities. Imagine if Michelle Obama paid a visit to AWDF? The world’s eyes would be on us. We could invite our grantees and she could dialogue with them about the work they do, more people would become aware of AWDF and our grantees…her visit needn’t be long. Even 5 minutes would suffice. But alas it is not to be.

Trust me, AWDF has tried to get on the Obama’s schedule, we have sent letters to all those that we need to contact, lobbied those we can lobby and called those we can call but so far it has been to no avail.

I haven’t given up yet which is why I am writing this open letter to you President Obama. I know that your priorities (according to the rumour mill) are seeing the Slave Castles in Cape Coast/Elmina (and I do understand why) but if you or Michelle want to make an impact to women in Africa during your visit to Ghana, please take 5 minutes to visit AWDF. This is my official invitation to you.

Yours Sincerely,


Nana Sekyiamah
Programme Officer for Fundraising & Communications

P.S: I am relying on the viral powers of the Internet to get this message across so if you know anyone who knows anyone who may have a connection to the 44th President of the USA please forward this letter.