Post date: Jun 21, 2013 3:57:7 PM
Schools, restaurants, taxi buses, songs - all carrying the name of US presidentBarack Obama. His rise to power inspired hopes for success amongst many Africans who considered Obama their "son" because he was born to a Kenyan man and in his name, they found an opportunity to boost business.
BENUE, NIGERIA (REUTERS) - In a small village in central Nigeria the name of US President Barack Obama set one school apart from any other learning institution in the area.
Established in November 2011, the school enjoyed an influx of children, many say, because it was named after the first African-America president of the US."The name President Barack Obama high school when the school was bearing that name, population was more than what it has been bearing this time because people around the area were thinking maybe they will gain admission of their children here so that maybe one day the school will go to a higher level and then their children will become something," said principal, Lubem Iorlumun.
But the school changed its name earlier this year, much to the disappointment of some students. It is now known as Christ the King High School.
The proprietor of the institution said he was criticized by people in the village for "misusing" the Obama name.
"When the name changed I felt too bad but I have nothing to do about it because the name go far even in this our Logo the name goes far and the name was interesting, many people that heard about it and that will make them to trace and come and register their child in the school premises," said Cynthia innocent, a student at the school.
As an African-American whose father was born in Kenya, Obama was considered by many as a "son" of Africa and an example for many on the continent that anything was possible.
The name of the US president became a symbol of what many believed Obama stood for - hard work and success.
But Obama, who only visited sub-Saharan Africa once in his first term - a stopover of less than a day in Ghana, did not match the expectations of many on the continent who expected his presidency to somehow directly improve their lives.
The euphoria around Obama has cooled and his name is no longer as saught after by ambitious entrepreneurs as it was when he first took office.
Bolagi Okusaga, a brand specialist based in Lagos says the Obama name, as some sort of brand was a passing craze and not something that was expected to last.
"A bit of an erosion you know if you look at it from an intellectual standpoint because there's been no, you know a brand is a bundle of intrinsic and extrinsic value and it must deliver on a promise, what is the promise of the Obama brand forAfrica, I can't find it, I can't find it and he does not seem to be a brand that is actually looking at Africa, it's not a brand that is actually looking at Africa, there's no promise, hence there are no expectations, and to that extent, I would imagine that the intrinsic... while the intrinsic remains untainted, the extrinsic has actually.... is actually eroding very fast," he said.
Obama visits Africa later this month for only his second time as president, making stops in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, but songs like this one, written in praise of "Barack Obama", by Ghanaian artist Blakk Rasta in 2008 are unlikely to top the charts again.