Ogho Okiti
Inauguration activities “from concerts to galas to charities” have been taking place for about a week. The swearing-in ceremony itself will begin at 10 a.m. today” that is 5 p.m. Nigerian time” and end two hours later.
The United States is experiencing its worst financial crisis since the 1930s and the temperature in Washington is predicted to be in the freezing range. None of that has deterred the millions of people from around the country who are thronging to Washington to be a part of history.
Rather than an atmosphere of doom and gloom, the mood around the country is that of hope and even euphoria.
Obamas idea, put simply, was that America can be better than it has been. It can reach beyond post-9/11 anger and fear to embody once more what the world still craves from the American idea: hope, wrote columnist Roger Cohen of the New York Times.
That encapsulates the mood of the American people. In several cities, Americans who could not make the trip to Washington gather at arenas to watch the inauguration on giant screens in festive atmospheres. Most others are glued to their television sets much of the day.
Special day for blacks.
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The euphoria is most pronounced among African Americans. It has been a long road from slavery to emancipation, from segregation to civil rights, from statutory racism to the inauguration of a black as president.
Significantly, the inauguration is sandwiched between two occasions that mark the history of African Americans.
Obama is being sworn in the day after a national holiday commemorating the birthday of America’s foremost civil rights leader in the 1960s, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. King was assassinated in 1968.
About 11 days after the inauguration, the United States will begin to observe Black History Month. February has been so dedicated for civic lessons and occasions commemorating the journey of black people to full citizenship in the United States.
About Washington
Still, the occasion of Obama’s inauguration belongs to all Americans. And all eyes point to Washington.
First-time visitors to the U.S. capital will find it quite un-American in its architectural style. Most U.S. cities are marked by behemoth skyscrapers, up to 33 stories tall. Not Washington.
Early in the history of the city, the U.S. Congress capped the height of buildings to avoid undue obstruction of the singular symbol of American democracy, the Capitol building.
That law not only enhances the visibility of the building that houses Congress, it also makes it easier to sight the other seats of U.S. federal government: the Supreme Court Building and the White House, where Obama will be moving in before the day is over.
For the millions of visitors who cannot get close to the spot of the inauguration, the wide-open spaces that separate the seats of power also make it possible to partake in the inaugural from afar.
There is the National Mall, where Obama will be sworn in under the gaze of the towering statue of President Washington.
Then there is Lincoln Memorial park, which honours the president who led the country through a perilous civil and was assassinated right after.
In front of the White House, there is also a park of assorted flower gardens. In the summer, it is a popular hangout for tourists and protesters. Obama would hope to have more of the first than the latter.
Inaugural events
The week-long inaugural events reflect Obama’s broad appeal and the theme of hope and national unity he campaigned on. Concerts feature performers and music genres that reflect the gamut of American popular and folk culture. The celebratory fare includes rhythm & blues, country, jazz, classical, hip-hop, everything.
Major stars who normally turn down invitations to perform in such occasions accepted this time, among them Bruce Springsteen, Bono/U2, and Garth Brooks.
They happened to be the first three we called, and they quickly said yes, George Stevens Jr., the executive producer of the inaugural shows, told the press.
Other major performers include the legendary Stevie Wonder, multi-talented Beyoncé, R & B stylist Mary J. Blige, jazz fusionist Herbie Hancock, and the famed soprano Renée Fleming.
The events producers require all musical selections to reflect the theme and spirit of the occasions. It’s going to be connecting music to history and ideas and American values, producer Don Mischer told the press.
The producers could well be articulating the essence of Obama’s leadership and politics. He has been credited with running one of the most focused and well-organised campaigns in U.S. history.
Oratoral skills
Obama is noted for his great oratorical skills. As the world eagerly awaits his speech today when he will be speaking as the 44th president of the United States of America, he gave little taste of it in Philadelphia last Friday where he boarded the train for his whistle-stop journey to Washington DC:
Obama: What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives – from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry – an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.
Pundits have applauded the systematic and thoughtful selection of Obama’s cabinet. He has reflected America’s racial diversity and gone for expertise rather than ideology.
One of the major musical events of the inaugural week goes by the theme, We Are One. Observers say that Obama has reflected that theme in all his actions. Americans are responding accordingly in their enthusiasm for his inauguration.
