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courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08DARESSALAAM567, ZANZIBAR: HOME GROWN "U.S. ELECTION RALLY" A

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08DARESSALAAM567 2008-09-04 09:38 2011-08-26 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Dar Es Salaam
R 040938Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7840
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO 
AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 
AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
CIA WASHINGTON DC
CJTF HOA//J3
HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000567 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI SCUL PGOV KDEM TZ
SUBJECT: ZANZIBAR: HOME GROWN "U.S. ELECTION RALLY" A 
SOUNDING BOARD FOR LOCAL THEMES 
 
1. On August 31, Muloud Salim, a young, self-appointed 
Zanzibari "U.S. Election Organizer" held an "Obama for 
President" Rally in the old fort at the epicenter of the 
capital of Stonetown.  Despite never having been outside of 
Tanzania, for the last several months Salim has taken it upon 
himself to try to activate his fellow islanders about the 
U.S. elections in general and Senator Obama in particular. 
In his day job as a tour guide for travel agent Abercrombie 
and Kent, Salim has even gone as far as to carry absentee 
voter forms that he distributes to unregistered American 
tourists he sees at the airport (NOTE: Salim's activities are 
separate and unrelated to voting assitance activities carried 
out by the Embassy Consular Section.  END NOTE).  Taxis 
throughout the island sport either American flags or U.S. 
partisan stickers because of Salim, and in front of the 
principal hotel in the capital there is an "Obama tree" 
decorated with election regalia, that has become something of 
a tourist attraction in its own right. 
 
2. Salim's "rally" brought out about 100 curious locals 
and around 25 bemused tourists of various nationalities and 
featured local dancers and music, including a group of 
transplanted Masai warriors.  He paid for use of the venue 
and PA equipment from small donations by signatories of his 
&petition,8 a list of about 400 names, about half of them 
local.  At the rally, Salim,s speech focused on Senator 
Obama's African origins, but especially on the campaign 
slogan "yes we can", suggesting that Zanzibaris could and 
should initiate their own change. 
 
3. At the denouement of his speech, Salim said he was often 
asked what would be the benefit for Zanzibaris if Obama won. 
Salim said that Africans should expect little change from the 
United States post-election, regardless of the outcome, but 
that was not the real question.  He criticized the mentality 
of those that would ask such as question, saying that 
positive change would not come from the U.S. or anywhere else 
outside of Africa.  Change had to come from within, and 
Africans needed to take responsibility for their own 
problems, he asserted.  Salim went on to say that Zanzibar 
was one people, not two factions, and that Zanzibar was 
united into one country ) Tanzania.  Threatening that unity 
was corruption, which eroded the institutions that would 
otherwise spur development and unity.  Just as Americans were 
renewing their society with the November election, Zanzibaris 
needed to watch and learn.  When Salim finished speaking, the 
crowd's echo "Yes we can!" had a different meaning and 
context from the U.S. electoral campaign. 
 
 
GREEN