Obama victory sparks cheers around the globe
By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer John Leicester,
Associated Press Writer
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PARIS – Barack Obama's
election as America's first black president unleashed a renewed love
for the United States after years of dwindling goodwill, and many said
Wednesday that U.S. voters had blazed a trail that minorities elsewhere
could follow.
People across Africa stayed up all night or woke before
dawn to watch U.S. history being made, while the president of Kenya — where
Obama's father was born — declared a public holiday.
In Indonesia,
where Obama lived as child, hundreds of students at his former
elementary school erupted in cheers when he was declared winner and
poured into the courtyard where they hugged each other, danced in the
rain and chanted "Obama! Obama!"
"Your
victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should
not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place,"
South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, said in a letter
of congratulations to Obama.
Many
expressed amazement and satisfaction that the United States could
overcome centuries of racial strife and elect an African-American as
president.
