Obama Africa Summit

++Been out of pocket the last few days because of events surrounding President Obama's African Summit. The Administration invited over 50 African heads of state to discuss for two days private/public partnerships to broaden American investment in Africa and the strengthening of that continent's health and education systems. The agenda of the summit was prepared in consultation with the ambassadors of the Africa Union and later at a summit of the heads of state for the AU.

++Prior to the summit there were several seminars among civil society and human rights groups to get into the program. The NAACP held a counter-summit because human rights groups criticized the government receiving certain heads of state. 

++Interestingly only a few op-eds appeared in the Imperial Post and the New York Times supporting this summit. Earlier this year,the old imperial powers of the EU held a similar summit in the Hague. Interestingly, American coverage of Obama's Summit never made reference to the continued hold of Europe on some of their former colonies.

++Sadly, the White House dinner for the heads of state simply became another opportunity to show fashions. The daughter of the Rwanda President scored big and Cameroon's first lady got mention for her hair. 

++The news of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia,Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau over shadowed the new coverage of the substance of the Summit. Oddly enough, a Gallup poll of Teabaggers really showed that a vast majority of them believe that Ebola is President Obama's birthplace. The religious Right hyped panic over Ebola saying that it would wipe out gays,atheists and sluts.

++The African delegations contained a whole new generation of young technocrats who will fuel the continent's future. A primary theme of the Summit was "the Spring of Hope" and building an African continent worthy of its younger generation.

++Prior to the Summit, President Obama met with his Nelson Mandela students, a program he created while in South Africa. His talk to the young generated such concerns among the African delegates that Susan Rice was tasked with addressing the diplomatic corps to put out the flames of discontent. Her speech was an extended exposition on the Administration's Africa policy. Actually it was terrific.

++The US-Africa Summit brought together Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush and First Lady Michelle Obama. The two first ladies hosted a Women's Summit on empowering women in Africa.

++You can find in the weeds several programs that will alter the development of Africa. The Administration recruited GE in its plan for electrification of rural areas. The various side venues such as the Chamber of Commerce and the World Bank meetings entailed pitches from governments to the American private sector to invest.

++In the end it was one of those small things President Obama has a done that will have a large impact. Of course,what publicity it got was focused on the human rights abusers and the dreaded Ebola virus.