The Obama of Łódź?

Another significant political event has taken place in Europe. 'Dr. John Godson was today sworn in as Poland's first black MP', reported thenews.pl, an English news outlet in Poland. Coming soon after the swearing-in of Dr. Bossman (now nicknamed the 'Obama of Piran') as Mayor of Piran in Slovenia, it was interesting to listen to an interview Dr. Godson gave.



Dr.Godson (right hand raised) at his swearing-in

 One of his main priorities is to improve relations between Poland and Africa especially in the energy sector. This for me is not surprising, considering that the man was born in Nigeria, one of Africa's largest oil producing nations.



Godson with the Polish Premier, Mr. Donald Tusk

 I suspect it will not be easy for him; traveling through Nairobi, it does not take long for anyone to notice that the city has been turned into one huge construction site-the road network is virtually being overhauled and the contractor is (yes you got that right!) a Chinese company. No wonder the leaked cables from Nairobi, as revealed by WikiLeaks, are mainly about US concerns on China's influence in Kenya.


Dr. John Godson

Asked whether he considers Poland his second home, Dr. Godson replied, "..i actually consider Poland my first homeland and Nigeria as my second homeland", going on to say that nowhere else in the world has he felt so at home than in Poland. Ivory Coast is still sailing through turbulent political waters. The European Union is reported to have issued sanctions against Laurent Gbagbo. The African Union is encouraging talks instead of sanctions. Can politicians such as Dr. Bossman and Godson, have a role in helping to resolve Africa's electoral difficulties? Can they help to change for the better the tome adopted by 'Western democracies' in their dealings with African countries? Or would their voices be too faint to be heard in the din that is Africa's political landscape? But what about President Barrack Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and American mother?

Young Obama visiting his grandmother in K'Ogelo village, Western Kenya

 Has he managed to flex his clout from the White House to stream line things in Kenya?


President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.

 Or should the allegiance of these 'sons of Africa' be only to their electorate in European and American cities? So many questions that i would like to put to the 'Obama of Łódź', who now joins the 460-member Sejm (lower house of the Polish parliament).