Shot in 2006, this hour-long documentary follows Illinois senator (and now, of course, presidential candidate) Barack Obama on a cross-continental tour of Africa. Obama stops at South Africa's Robben Island prison and his father's home village in Kenya, as well as various areas that deserve more attention from the Western media, particularly a Chad refugee camp that is home to survivors of the Darfur genocide. Unfortunately, filmmaker Bob Hercules has turned the film into less of a genuine documentary than a blatant political commercial for Obama, who throughout offers little but canned platitudes and carefully nuanced proclamations that neither address the socioeconomic challenges facing Africa nor confront the corrupt political infrastructure (including the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and continued human rights abuses in many African countries). The film also takes a casual view of the AIDS pandemic that is devastating Africa—Obama and his wife Michelle publicly take an AIDS test for the cameras, but no prescription is offered for stopping the spread of the disease. Obama is a charismatic personality who has brought a breath of fresh air to the 2008 campaign for the presidency, but this film is strictly for diehard supporters happy to bask in political hagiography. Optional. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)
Senator Obama Goes to Africa
(2007) 60 min. DVD: $19.95. First Run Features (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 2
Senator Obama Goes to Africa
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