Voices on Obama: Felix

How do you feel about, now that you know the outcome of the U.S. election and what it means to you as a Zimbabwean, as a world citizen?

As a world citizen, okay, I would say, like, I mean.. it shows that life man, if you believe, you know, things can change especially if people come together.

Like you see the case of America, it's not about.. like, it wasnt the race issue. It's about people, come together as a nation and they believed in Obama and you know they want something for a change which is what has been happening.

What do you think that change is?

That change, like, basically you know people always thought that, like, you know America, it was mainly, eh, how can I say?, you know, the time of Martin Luther King, they came from a time where once Blacks were oppressed. Martin Luther had a dream that one day that dream would come true..so like in a way, this is the way I would say that dream of Martin Luther has become a reality.

I've been following Obama's profile. To me, it seems to me, it sounds like he has a very good education background...like in the senate most of those guys they used to oppose him. Like he's a republican is it?

Obama?

Obama, he's Republican?

Democrat.

Democrat, yeah, like but in his case he actually brought those two parties, Republican and Democrat together in the senate.

So like for him as a statesman, I think he'll do much better, its not about the political indifference with them but its about bringing all the people together, which if you want something to work you have to bring people together.

Felix is originally from Zimbabwe, working in South Africa. He bartends at Zula Bar on Long Street, Cape Town.

Voices on Obama: Gary and Eve

I’m doing interviews on South African reactions to the victory of the democratic candidate Barack Obama . . .

Eve: It’s what we woke up to this morning. Like Gary and I, ya know, trying to sleep to 10 -that’s all we want to do in life-and John walked out. Little economist, John, walked out of his room and went "Yay, Obama won!" And we were like, "Huh?"

What does that mean to you?

Eve: Ya, well, I dunno what it means to me. It means that my best friend whose planning on moving to the states has, uhm, a new president. She said, well like her husband’s American and she’s obviously African, and she said she has an African-American baby and he’s just delighted.

And so do you think you are affected as a South African by the U.S elections?

Gary: Yes. But I'm not really sure why. I was reading up on it on the internet today and there's a lot of things but I generally, like . . . when I listen to politics, ah, it’s pretty rad and nah, I'm really stoked and it's awesome but uh, but exactly why I'm affected, like I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you, cause I just want to rock.

What’s awesome about? Why do you use those words?

Gary: Um, that I know, I know the gist of why the Republicans were, weresh, were shit. And why the Democrats are rad. And like it’s cool that it’s a black guy and it's just like ya . . . just and the other guy look soooooo boring. [Laughs in the background]

Eve: Also, like McCain is a kind of oven bake chips. That’s no person to rule the free world. And we never listen to the news… never ever ever and today, like, we listened to a good I’d say minute and a half . . . hey hey ‘hows that?’ of the news before we put the next CD in, that’s that’s a lot . . . oh, we heard Nelson. Nelson Mandela said something, cause we discovered that he only speaks in proverbs. He never, like, has actual conversations with anyone. He just says one liners and they’re always, like awesome. What did he say?

Gary: "He shows how..anyone can achieve. Anyone can achieve anything..." Yada, yada, {in Mandela voice} I’m Nelson and leave me alone I’m going back to bed.

Eve: {in Mandela voice} I’m very old.

Eve and Gary make music in Cape Town.

Voices on Obama: Cath and N.D

In response to Obama's victory:

Cath: I feel fantastic. I think the world has turned with Barack Obama and the American presidency ( things can't surely be the same again), and I just think that it's a very, very hopeful time and I'm so happy to be alive at this point.

Cath is a social development consultant based in Cape Town.

N.D: Ya I feel, I’m so amped I’ve been like buzzing, buzzing along 100 percent. Ya, going like a boeing, zooming along doing all my clips, totally inspired by Obama. He’s risen to the seat of influence and power-where he can do stuff. Ya, it’s the time of the time of the great turning. You must read David Korten, The Great Turning. It’s my bible.

N.D. is a cartoonist and comix publisher.

Voting Abroad

Three reasons why I chose to vote in the U.S. elections:

1. Exercise my right

2. Honor and respect the lives who fought for voting rights

3. Be an active citizen for my country and the world

If you are living in another part of the world, take the time to visit and read through www.fvap.org

This website will tell you all you need to know about registering, requesting an absentee ballot, and sending it to your city clerk in the last state you registered in. Note: U.S. Embassies may provide a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot if you have not received your absentee ballot, but YOU have to send it through to your local election officials. Each state votes on different issues, so it is important to request your state specific ballot in advanced.

Register and Request your ballot today.

www.fvap.org

Why does the US vote on Tuesday?

From http://whytuesday.org/answer

"In 1845, before Florida, California, and Texas were states or slavery had been abolished, Congress needed to pick a time for Americans to vote. We were an agrarian society. We traveled by horse and buggy. Farmers needed a day to get to the county seat, a day to vote, and a day to get back, without interfering with the three days of worship. So that left Tuesday and Wednesday, but Wednesday was market day. So, Tuesday it was. In 1875 Congress extended the Tuesday date for national House elections and in 1914 for federal Senate elections.

Today, we are an urban society, and we all know how hard it is to commute to our jobs, take care of the children, and get our work done, let alone stand on lines to vote. Indeed, Census data over the last decade clearly indicates that the inconvenience of voting is the primary reason Americans are not participating in our elections.

If we can move Columbus Day, Presidents’ Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Holiday for the convenience of shoppers, why not make Election Day more convenient for the sake of voters? First and foremost, it is time to end the deafening silence of good people on this vitally important issue.

So we ask: Why Tuesday?"

Contact your congressional representatives www.congress.org and ask them to make Election Day a National Holiday.

kalk bay harbour

sylvia.

Sylvia: The fisher folk mostly live on hope, you know. Without that, then, we can’t go on…yeah, mostly on hope.

snoek at kalk bay

Slyvia at Kalk Bay Harbour: ‘Like you can say the best month would be if the snoek is running continuously cause that’s more in demand. The people want to hear nothing they look at all the fish down there… da da da…

“Is there any snoek? Where’s the snoek?”And they ignore all the other fish, yeah I had twenty five snoek yesterday that I got from somebody.. and all the other fish was lying down and they just picked the snoek most the times.

What it is, its um, how can I explain this now…it’s a, it can feed about the whole family and there’s leftovers.. your money can go further with that . . . more food with the snoek. Yes. It’s cheaper… it was R25 rand and some people took three some two and so there. Yeah’

bay of plenty beach festival

skate