Build, not tear down

by ABHA ELI PHOBOO

FROM ISSUE # 158 (February 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
	REFER TO FRIEND		PRINT THIS ARTICLE

Let's get you some weave, said my African friend. An hour later she'd added extensions to my hair and I had an Afro of sorts. We did it for fun and didn't quite foresee the social experiment it became.

It felt weird having a mass of unruly curls on my head but even weirder was that I had stumbled into a different identity: light-skinned African-American. I was suddenly a "homie" and "in the hood." I got a "Yo!" instead of the polite nods when I looked Asian. Only my hair was different and already I could recognise the palpable difference in how people react to appearances. I didn't experience discrimination or racism as such but observed how social conditioning dictates the human response to appearances. Prejudice runs deep and it was the many incidents I encountered that helped me better understand the gravity of what it meant for black people to watch Barack Obama being sworn in as the president.

But Obama is more than black. He is an intelligent leader who led a meticulous and strategic election campaign for the US presidency. An accomplished writer, in both his books, Dreams From My Father, and Audacity of Hope, he emphasises the importance of human values, integrity of a person, and the right of every individual to pursue happiness. With his patchwork heritage, he relates to people almost anywhere in the world, of all backgrounds, colours, and races. He has become a symbol for hope, belief, and change; that if one works to make dreams come true, they really do.

To be in the United States at this time is a paradox: even as the nation's economy continues to dwindle, its hope and ability to change surges forward. I watched Obama's inaugural address with friends from different parts of the world and as global citizens, there were words that struck us home. As a Nepali, I really hoped that our leaders at home were watching (load shedding schedule permitting), and taking note of these three simple sentences:

* "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works…"
* "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy,"
* "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

It is important to unify, not divide; to build, not tear down. We asked for peace when we voted at the elections and chose to forget the past, if not forgive. We need our leaders to be visionaries who can rise above violence, petty differences, and lead Nepal to become the nation we are capable of being.

Abha Eli Phoboo was the editor of WAVE from 2005-2006. She has just graduated in Creative Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma in the United States.