On a day like any other day here, I am starting the morning with a cup of turkish coffee/green tea/black tea and reading a smattering of regional and canadian news, with a little BBC at times (but usually I catch that at home after the day at work)…. I try and steer clear of CNN, though now I, like the rest of the world, am FINALLY welcoming news from America….
I watched the inauguration with my new dear roommate Jordan – an eastcoaster (from T-dot), who shares my same sarcastic humor, love of all things political, sharp wit and humerous commentary on the world as it keeps happening around us.
It is nice to feel like I have a co-conspirator, like someone else is experiencing the same frustrations and revelations that I am… like I’m not going crazy. Its a good feeling to to be able to contextualize her experiences, and her specialization in middle eastern politics at mcgill contextualizes mine… the things she is finding new I am able to shed (minimal) light on… an ebb and flow of connectivity.
I have learned the art of patience here, and to minimize your expectations of yourself in the energy it takes to struggle every day to not just understand, but comprehend, contribute and be of value in an environment that is so foreign it is humbling. Maybe am not talking just about the dawn in Jordan, but the dawn for us everywhere as we try and find our place in the world at this crossroads.
It was nice to share the inauguration with someone who is seeing the same things I am – who feels like I feel about what this means for all of us (as global citizens) so much more acutely here. We were not alone – my Jordanian friend was over, Waseem, and the general consensus is that everyone is so very glad the Bush legacy is over – a new day can begin possibly, who knows what it will bring.
It is the break of dawn when you can’t tell what this new ‘era’ will bring; all around you are the litters of the past invasions; not just war, but economic, commercial, consumerism… ‘westernized ideals’ instilled into the fabric of Amman by the forceful hand of America. Can we trust anyone can not be corrupted at the helm of such a mighty beast? Is anyone truly in the drivers seat, in control, responsible?
I read an article in the globe and mail that acknowledged the importance of how the people here are reacting… especially the Jordanian youth.. they are touching on the vocalization of all things obama. Check it out for yourself here:
Many in the Arab world had taken encouragement from Mr. Obama’s address the day before in which he specifically called on “the Muslim world” to join him in “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”
Young Jordanians and Palestinians were ready to join him. They flooded radio programs and YouTube with their comments.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Omar Jibril from Ramallah. “The world is fed up with Bush,” said a teenaged Jordanian. “Don’t we deserve a better future?” another asked.
Amid the celebration and hope for the future, the reality of the past three weeks is still being uncovered in the rubble. There is a constant reminder of the reason why Barak (rightfully so) has made sure the 4 phone calls to heads of state signalling prioritized contact with the middle east has been the first step after Guantanamo in the white house. The messages coming out of Gaza are still so full of desperation and hopelessness, that there is no end to the foundations of this occupation:
In Gaza, only the dead have seen the end of this war. For those who survived, there is no ceasefire in the daily battle for actual survival – due to a complete lack of water, gas, electricity, bread and milk for their children. Several thousand people lost their homes. Only scarce humanitarian aid can make it through few border crossings, and it feels like the benevolence of the killers’ accomplices is just temporary.
What does ‘obama’ really mean? stand for? translate to in arabic? It is an entity that is taking on so many different meanings…. bigger than the man himself. Have we all forgotten he is human?
Taking a moment to celebrate and be joyous at this time is important, but Baraks tone during his inauguration was a somber one because he is aware of the global perception of the world - that he has a small window to act on this feeling of hopefullness that is touching the lives of everyone here in the darkness, whether they are cynical of it or not. There is no expectation that he will be the one to change things, such a suggestion is almost laugable here, but people are daring to ask if he can motivate enough people to change things for themselves?
He has a small army of Jordanianand Palestinian youth who have already been activating avenues and dialogue about peace and humanity – they take solace in this message from across the pond, if channelling the power of his will to do so is not too heavily criticized… here, ‘westernized’ can be a dirty word.
Grass-roots actions are so tangible and creative, like threads in a fabric of Jordanian youth mobilization, yet ultimately unsustainable if noone at a policy level is listening. So poetnially fleeting if not given the resources they need to grow.
Obama may not make a direct difference here, but his message of taking responsibility for ourselves is one that I have heard echoing throughout Jordan so far, in thier anger and mistrust of their ‘elected’ officials who are more than willing to stand by in the face of the past and future Gazas. Dare we say we as a generation are all one and the same in this struggle?
He will make mistakes, and he will be criticized – especially as he has taken steps towards making the governing process so much more transparent. He is pulling back the curtain, revealing the wizard, shining a light on the strings of policy makers as they put on their production of democray throughout the world…
Even if he does ‘fail to deliver’ there is power in words, and the message is what carries the most promise for all of us to take a hard look on our part in this complicated game of blame. This is true throughout the only planet we can call home, and in Jordan especially.
