ACCRA, Ghana — Good riddance Barack Obama. And welcome Donald Trump.
Surprisingly, that’s the view of many people in this western African nation, which is 78 percent Christian and 11 percent Muslim.
“Of course we all supported the first black president of the United States. But along the line, we were disappointed,” said the Rev. Dr. John B. Ghartey, general secretary of Ghana’s Assemblies of God Church, speaking at a roundtable with religious leaders here in Ghana’s capital.
The Rev. Dr. John B. Ghartey, general secretary of the Assemblies of God Church in Ghana. | Maudlyne Ihejirika/Sun-Times
“The expectation was so high. First of all, he’s black. Secondly, he professed to be a Christian. There were certain values we expected him to cherish, as a black man, and as a Christian,” Ghartey said. “But he did not succeed in representing the Christian community.”
Ghartey’s sentiments were echoed by middle-class working professionals, interfaith leaders and others encountered on a recent foreign-press delegation visit to Ghana sponsored by the government of Israel.
Many expressed a souring of Obama — a son of Africa, whose father was Kenyan — over the course of his eight-year administration. They cited Obama’s support of gay rights and same-sex marriage; a lack of U.S. aid for struggling, African countries, and lack of progress for African Americans under his administration.
