Barack Obama's choice of Egypt for his historic address to the Muslim world carries a lot of symbolism. It coincides with the anniversary of the start of the first battle between Islam, under Prophet Muhammad, and Christendom in AD629; the 30th anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini's demise and the appointment of Ali Khamenei as the new “Supreme Guide of the Islamic ummah” and more importantly, the rebuilding of the Ka'abah, the stone at the heart of Mecca, which had been destroyed in a Muslim civil war.

President Obama             Photo: Courtesy

That he should use Cairo, the home of ancient Egyptian belief systems  that are believed to have contributed immensely to modern Islamic and Christian value systems  to convey his message not only sends home the message of peaceful co-existence and mutual respect in the Middle East and feuding African communities, but also reflects his understanding of Egypt’s (and by extension Africa’s) rich civilization, valuable contribution to intellectual thought and cultural exchange throughout the millennia.

It is on record that Africa has contributed greatly to the world’s intellectual discourse; metallurgy; writing; astronomy; navigation; medicine; architecture; agriculture and governance, amongst other fields. That the continent should fall from this height and capture the news headlines for all wrong reasons is what Obama seeks to correct by holding the important meeting in Africa.  

Obama’s Egypt forum is not only an effort to re-brand Africa, but a wake up call to the continent’s leaders and elites to rise to the occasion, retrace where they lost footing and  reclaim  Africa’s position in global affairs.