December 2: I get it, Sarah Palin is popular

I woke up early this morning, worried because my iPhone didn’t change time zones. I actually feel guilty though, because I’m not suffering jet lag, and many in the group are. At least I wasn't up at 4. 

We started the day at Idasa, a public interest organization with a continent-wide focus toward sustainable democracy. We heard from people who ran programs in economic development and political development at the local level.

We covered a broad range of their programs, giving us an excellent overview of the current political situation. One woman we talked to deals with issues of gender on the continent. Oddly enough, even in these nascent democracies, women’s participation in politics isn’t that different from ours. She said they are now focusing on recruiting good quality candidates, over just a sheer number of women. This reminded me of research the Humphrey Institute’s Center on Women and Public Policy recently talked about, and I brought this up to the group: our trends aren’t so different. I also asked if there were positive female role models in the nation, like President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson of Liberia. She was our guest at the U last year and has an inspiring story for young aspiring political women. They said there were many role models, but one woman was quick to note that in America we elected an African-American president before a woman. Touche.

That conversation was my high for the day, because it really made me think more critically about women’s participation in our own political process. I’m proud that we are a country of voters that don’t just vote on gender. I’m sure this isn’t true for each individual, but if, as a group, we vote solely based on who we might see as the best candidate, it’s almost like we don’t see gender at all. In the short run, this may yield fewer women in numbers, but isn’t the ultimate goal not to see gender at all? Okay, off my soapbox. Bra = burned.

At the end of the Idasa meeting, our leader for the day asked their group if they have any questions for us. I’m not sure how surprised I was that they asked, “Why is Glen Back so popular?” Hmmm…. Good question. Follow up was “Tell me about the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin.” The rest of the group laughed when these questions were asked, probably because it’s a very straight forward question. Ryan Haynes, a Republican colleague and member of the TN State Assembly had a fantastic answer (that I’m adding to my message document for future use). He said that the Tea Party movement arose because of a large number of people who are upset with the direction their government was headed, and rightfully so. This group, however, has not yet found one singular leader to accurately represent their positions. I also added the media’s role in portraying this movement: There could be ten “normal” people sitting around, upset that their taxes are too high, but if there is one guy in the room with an eagle on his t-shirt and a sign that misspelled “constitution,” CNN will only cover him. I may not consider myself a part of the Tea Party movement, but I thought Ryan’s assessment was a fair one.

We ate lunch at a beautiful restaurant outside, next to a nature preserve. Everyone in the group is willing to try local fare, so three tried “venison.” Not the same meaning as post-hunting season in MN. This meat actually comes from an antelope-like creature. I only bring this up because one of them ran by our table while we were eating. Major guilt trip for those who were enjoying this creature’s brother for lunch.

Next, we drove about two hours to a town called Secunda, to meet with the local municipal leaders. Here, I hit a wall of tired. The discussion seemed really interesting, but I struggled to focus. One item of note: A big part of preparing for the trip was buying gifts from home to give to local leaders. Emily scored in Secunda (see photo).

Everyone loves the Yankees! (probably the only time I will ever be pro-Yankee)

Dinner at Moyo - Seven vegetable cous cous

Sheila, a South African working for the U.S. Embassy in Joburg and our escort for many meetings, suggested we eat at Moyo, a restaurant that serves very traditional African food, music and face painting. I think this setting is where the group will get to know each other best, over good wine, somewhat unrecognizable food, and the collective experience of being totally out of our element. 

Ryan, Emily and Dale at Moyo