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Obama's Election Inspires Baby Naming in Kenya
Aaron recently wrote a post here on Gadling about a production of Obama: The Musical in Kenya. The song and dance-filled bio-play shows how ridiculously popular Barack is in his father's home country. Well, some Kenyans are upping the ante further by naming their children, and their beer, after the prez-elect. "Senator" Beer, a locally made brew, was inspired by Obama's previous political rank. No word yet on how sales stack up against perennial favorite, Tusker. Mothers in Obama's ancestral homeland of Kisumu have been naming their newborns Barack Obama, or some variation thereof. Have a girl? No problem. Several female babies in the province bear the name of Michelle Obama. Sharing your name with the future president of the US doesn't come without its share of pressures. One mother told a Reuters reporter that she expects great thing out of her pint-sized Barack Obama. "I would like that by the time he is in his 40s he becomes the president of this country."
I know there is a lot of excitement now, but wouldn't it be wise to wait to see how Obama performs in office before naming your child after him? I mean, what if your parents had named you after Richard Nixon?
And it appears that a few Americans are getting in on the fad as well.
Gallery: 2008 Presidential Election, Kenya-Style
[Via Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 7 of 7)
John Nov 6th 2008 6:51PM
I can understand why the mother expects great things out of her son she named Barack Obama...and wishes that he become President of Kenya...I wish Barack Obama was President of Kenya too..
me Nov 6th 2008 7:10PM
that is sooo straight (as my friend would say [see most people say thats so gay but she likes to be unique]) that is just about the stupidist name in the world and mccain should have won
~me~
Karen Jordan Nov 6th 2008 7:17PM
My God.....everyone is so ugly about this election.......
Obama did get the popular vote and the electoral vote, actually he overwhelmingly won the Presidency they just announced that fact on the National News. Obama won these votes because the American people are sick of lies, deceit, scare tactics, poor economy and our country falling. Everyone saw McCain would continue down the same path. We needed CHANGE. Everyone saw that CHANGE in Obama. I see HOPE and a chance to return to a life that I once knew. Which quite frankly I haven't seen in some time.
Let's just give Mr. Obama the benefit of the doubt. Let's support our new President and God Bless him. He is taking on quite a task! No matter what he does, it's more than we have had in the past 8 years!
Such Civility Nov 6th 2008 7:20PM
I just love to read all the gratuitously nasty, demeaning, and derogatory insults (not that there's any other kind) masquerading as comments on an article. It serves as a reminder of what sort of people actually voted for W. Twice. Go, go, go. Fight, fight, fight. Morons!
Colleen Nov 6th 2008 7:20PM
I think that's really sweet and a great way to honor our new President!
kentucky Nov 6th 2008 7:24PM
well i will say what i have been saying for years we all need to pray because in a hundred years this fighting won't have mattered.
God Bless all of us
D Nov 6th 2008 7:34PM
wtf you all will no wat u did in 3 years! obamas gonna start wwIII
Watdafuk Nov 6th 2008 7:27PM
And exactly how many kids were born since yesterday?
Non Nov 6th 2008 7:32PM
Obama had 63,093,832 votes
McCain had 55,851,014 votes so the majority DID elect him.
JENNIFER Nov 6th 2008 8:16PM
They should have just named their baby the Anti-Christ. Geeeeesh!!!!
Look it up, ppl! Nov 6th 2008 8:22PM
Obama of all people should know what happes when your named after a leader who turns bad. His middle name was Hussin*sp?* (he changed it eventually). For the record, if I COULD vote, I would've voted for John McCain......
forward Nov 7th 2008 4:03PM
The point that Obama keeps trying to make is that he doesn't discriminate because of skin color, gender, social stasis, sexual preferences, or even ignorance. The same ignorance that some of you on here display.
I hear a lot of people saying that they are going to move out of the country now that Obama is president. News Flash other countries hate Americans. Just another form of prejudice. At least Obama is willing to be your president also. He is willing to set an example.That is how you be the bigger MAN. It is the only way to stop hate.
Don't dog on another race, gender, religious belief, or even people with different sexual preferences than you believe to be right. Who are you anyway? Who says your way is right? Is it just a cover so you don't have to be honest with yourself? You can't stand to tell yourselves that you need to be educated in life so that you don't fear the unknown, or that your parents were nothing more than bigots themselves. Just because they are bigots doesn't mean that you have to hate them. It doesn't mean you have to hate others either.
Ignorance truly is bliss, but to be educated is even better!
BE-BOP Nov 6th 2008 9:14PM
HEY I AM WONDERING IF THEY SPELLED THIS LITTLE MONDAYS NAME CORRECT... OBOMBA
L Nov 6th 2008 9:30PM
Wow! I can't believe the ugly racist comments. This presidential race was history in the making and I was so proud to be a part of it. I actually cried when he won. He won in states that had not gone Democratic in 70 or more years. It was a landslide victory not only for President-elect Obama but for the American people. I really believe he will help break down barriers and unify our country. You can find your reasons to hate him by saying he's black, Muslim, or any of the other lies you want to attach to his name but the bottom line is he is our new president. Your hate will only hurt yourself. The Republicans had 8 years to make our country in the worse shape it has ever been in. He wasn't elected only by the minorities. It was white, young, old and people that were begging for a change. For all you haters, you need to get over it. He isn't just a BLACK man. He is an educated lawyer that is also a Senator that was smart enough to win a presidency. And he's pretty hot! TOP THAT!
anr Nov 8th 2008 5:10PM
I simply don't support our new president-elects views. I mean the interviews that I watched show that the simply SAYS what he believes everyone wants to hear. He is not a true christian, and he can't while being pro-choice.. I don't know how anyone with kids could even support that. But he also says he believes life begins at conception. Then if this fetis is a live begining a person and someone desides they don't what it anymore that is simply MURDER to discard of it. Ohhhh...and the list goes on and on where he says hes christian , but is simply riding the fence- balanced there so everyone like him. He is a smart smooth talker. I said this before I will pray for his family and him before and while he is in office, I also pray that he and his family become true christians. Then I'd be overjoyed to say hes our president!! My disliking him has nothing to do with his color, of which is a mixture of ethnicities , just like everyone in America including myself. But we need to come together in the true meaning of Christ.
anr Nov 8th 2008 5:24PM
What because she supports the right side of moral issues?
Glorious Nov 12th 2008 1:42PM
WOW you sound like a true chauvanist pork-face! So, you're comfortable with Botox Biden near the White House? Do you hear yourself? Sarah gets better and better...she has you libs running so scared! She is far better qualified than Bidet and Obamanation put together. The Left's remarks about her are such pure hypocrisy! BIDEN is qualified?? And this mostly-absent senator is qualified?? Can't we agree that they're all a bit green?? No, Sarah can't get near the White House! It's only Sarah who isn't qualified?? Geez!