VZCZCXRO7749
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0237/01 1961053
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151053Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4269
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4698

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000237 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S AND AF/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO LT
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH FOSTERS DISCUSSION OF LESOTHO'S 
CHALLENGES 
 
REF: Maseru 231 
 
MASERU 00000237  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. On Monday, July 13, CDA welcomed into her home about 20 
members of Lesotho's civil society groups, media, government, 
and academics to watch President Obama's July 11th speech in 
Accra, Ghana. Attendees included representatives of the Lesotho 
National Development Corporation (LNDC), the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, the National University of Lesotho, various NGOs, the 
local media houses, and the Libyan embassy.  Overall the program 
was a success in that it engaged a diverse audience, who 
expressed a positive view of US efforts to reach out to the 
world and specifically Africa. 
 
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Obama's speech 
-------------- 
 
¶2.  The program started with a brief introduction from the CDA, 
who served as the moderator for the event.  The audience viewed 
a DVD of the President's speech, which had been recorded live 
from the VOA website on Saturday, July 11. Participants were 
given a transcript of the speech which they used to follow as 
they watched the video. The audience was then invited to share 
their views of the speech. 
 
¶3. Most of the participants said Obama's speech was relevant and 
topical for the current economic and social conditions in 
Africa. There were varied views as to whom Obama's message was 
directed. Some participants said the speech was directed 
specifically to African leaders, while others stated the speech 
was directed to people across the world, the United States 
included. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Speech draws comparisons to Lesotho 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. Among the group there was consensus that Obama's statement, 
"Africa's future is up to Africans," was the only method in 
which African countries would prosper in the 21st century. All 
of the audience members agreed that nationals would have an 
instrumental role in the development of their respective 
countries. The executive of the LNDC said that it is important 
for the people of Lesotho, "to improve their own lot" and to 
"seize opportunities for the development of the country." 
 
¶5. Discussion surrounding the leadership of the country elicited 
varied responses. One participant characterized the leaders of 
Lesotho as "charismatic" in advancing the consolidation of 
democracy however, he pointed to the transfer of power between 
administrations as the "test of democracy." To demonstrate this 
point, he cited Obama's continued support to provide aid for the 
HIV/AIDS pandemic, although the program was developed by his 
predecessor, President Bush. In comparison, the participant 
stated that often programs in Lesotho are "terminated because 
they were developed by previous politicians." 
 
¶6. Additionally, as it relates to leadership, one participant 
said Lesotho political leaders "did not believe in a bottom-up 
approach" and that "plans are made without consulting the 
average Basotho." He attributed Obama's bottom-up strategy to 
the President's work as a community organizer and questioned the 
feasibility of this approach within government. Another member 
of the audience stated it is important for leaders, "to be 
honest and to lead by example," and "to espouse the principals 
they put forth." 
 
¶7. One audience member stated there were "challenges" within the 
judicial and financial systems in Lesotho which contributed to 
the corruption by heads of state. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Audience members discuss donor funding 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. There was much discussion regarding donor funds and the 
allocation of funds for programmatic efforts. Several 
participants stated that the design and the length of projects 
did not provide adequate time for the projects to mature. 
Another participant stated that because donor funding was often 
allocated at headquarters, in essence, the funding was spent 
prior to arriving in country. As a result, funding may not be 
appropriated in such a way that meets the needs of the 
organization and thus, Basotho society. Additionally, one 
participant questioned the strategy put forth by MCC to 
designate the private sector as an economic project. In his 
opinion, the private sector would thrive only if the market were 
allowed to determine itself. Some participants commented that 
 
MASERU 00000237  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
external financial and political sources hindered the progress 
and success of projects. 
 
--------------------- 
Lesotho and democracy 
--------------------- 
 
¶9. Regarding the President's reference to supporting democratic 
governments, many of the participants agreed that countries that 
demonstrated effort should be rewarded with aid accordingly. 
However, one participant said "we cannot think about democracy 
by importing it from the West or elsewhere," and the group 
agreed that Lesotho needed to determine for itself what shape 
its own democracy would take.  Many participants applauded 
Obama's efforts to engage the African community in dialogue and 
to position the United States as an ally in the continued 
development of the continent. 
 
-------------- 
Media Reaction 
-------------- 
 
¶10. Lesotho's print media is weekly and newspapers are published 
on Thursday and Friday; therefore post will forward published 
reactions to AF/PD as they become available.   Although the 
local radio programs have been primarily focused on the issue of 
a SADC dialogue effort relating to the contentious 2007 
parliamentary elections (reftel), one radio call-in show did 
feature reactions to the speech, which focused primarily on the 
importance of rooting out corruption. 
POWER