donald j trumpMy community in Africa is quite religious and most people in my community don't like involving themselves in politics. Why? Because politics is generally "dirty" and "dangerous". However, that is not to say, people in my community run away from their civic duties (including voting). Once in a while (especially during general elections), most of us come out of our shells.

Amazingly however, several people in my community seem to know a thing or two about America's president Donald Trump. Someone may ask "How?". Well, the reason is quite simple. The premium radio station in our area is so obsessed with Trump to the point where they cannot go a day without talking about Trump and American politics. And since it is the main radio station in the area, most people have no choice than to listen to their political talks. The good thing about this however is that, people in my community are now "current" when it comes to American politics and world affairs in general. Not long ago, my friends and I decided to put this to test by asking people in my community what they know about Trump and whether they like America's president Donald Trump. We were quite impressed with the information we gathered. However, we weren't shocked at all to know that almost all adults in my community do not like Trump. Not just in my community. Most Africans do not like Trump and there are several reasons why. 

Donald Trump does not like Muslims. In fact, he sees all Muslims as trouble-makers and terrorists and judging by the reaction from the Muslim communities around the world, we can reasonably estimate that at least 80% of Muslims do not like Trump. Muslims make up over 45% of Africa's population and judging by the reaction from the African Muslim community, I think we can fairly estimate that at least 80% of Muslims in Africa would not support Trump.

In Africa, the traditional believers cherish personal qualities like empathy, love, humility, wisdom, maturity, etc. more than money and financial accomplishments.

Empathy is something Trump lacks judging by how he mocks people with disabilities, etc. Humility is something we all know Trump doesn't have. Trump lacks humility. Trump may be old but is Trump matured enough? Judging by the way he uses words without thinking and his uncontrollable temperament, we all can agree that Trump is not there yet. Love and empathy go hand-in-hand and since Trump has no empathy, I doubt his love for the poor and the needy. Taking these personal traits and several other qualities into consideration, we can reasonably estimate here that at least 90% of the traditional believers in Africa would not support a guy like Trump.

Some famous American Christians have openly supported Trump and most of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) and other white supremacist groups who have openly supported Trump, also refer to themselves as Christians. We do have some white supremacist groups in Africa especially in countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe. And just like their American colleagues, they wouldn't mind at all supporting Trump. It is hard to estimate when it comes to the white supremacist communities in Africa but judging by the reaction from the KKK communities in America, we can fairly estimate that at least 90% of those votes would go to Trump. The good news however is that, white supremacits are an insignificant fraction as far as African population is concerned. 

Christians in North and Northeast Africa are mostly orthodox and judging by their culture and way of life, most would definitely not support a guy like Trump. We can reasonably estimate here that at least 75% of Orthodox Christians in North Africa and around the "Horn of Africa" would not support a guy like Trump.

The everyday Christians in the East, Central, and West Africa, under normal circumstances would never vote for a guy like Trump. Although they are Christians by religion, most of the Christians communities in East, Central, and West Africa are traditional Africans first. In other words, Christ-like qualities like humility, love and compassion for the poor and the needy, etc. are cherished more than earthly riches. Trump may have the earthly riches but lacks those important Christ-like qualities that most of these Christian communities in Africa often look for in a candidate. So under normal circumstances (without any outside influence), Trump would register close to zero votes in these communities. From personal experience, I think we can fairly estimate here that about 80% of Christians in East, West, and Central Africa, would definitely not support a guy like Trump under normal circumstances.

Putting all these estimates into consideration, I think it is fair enough to say most Africans do not and would not support Donald Trump.

I personally care about American politics because I have come to realize that in today’s world, what takes place in Washington, affects us all in one way or the other. What takes place in America affects the world as a whole including my community in Africa. In other words, if Americans elect a “not-so-good-guy” for president, we all suffer at the end of the day and that is why I care.

In 2008 and 2012, the choices were quite clear. In 2008 for example, On one hand we had a proud war hero who went to war, helped kill several people (both enemies and innocent people), got captured by enemy troops and came out alive through a miracle. And on the other hand, we had an inspirational community organizer who looked just like everyone else and taught people for a living. In 2012, on one hand we had a very rich and powerful religious figure and on the other hand, we had a man who had just saved America from a great depression, a man who had just scored great points on the war on terror, and a man who just happened to know how things were.

Unfortunately for America and the rest of the world, things didn't come out as expected this time around. Sadly we are stuck with a completely racist fellow who also happens to be a “genius” with little to no sense at all.

Although America today is far better than when George Bush and his friends were running things, there is no doubt most Americans  are fed up even with the way things are right now. Most Americans are fed up with the way their government runs and would prefer a totally different option. Most Americans are fed up with the career politicians and would rather elect an outsider who can bring some change to Washington. Maybe that is where Mr. Trumps comes in. Although Trump has been dealing with politicians all his life, he has projected himself as an outsider making him a “good candidate” to the many voters looking for an outsider. The question however is, besides being an “outsider”, what exactly does Mr. Trump represents? Can Trump bring the positive change America needs? Can Trump bring the peace and prosperity we all need? Some Americans think Hillary is a liar but what doesn't Trump lie about? Trump lies about even his wife (you can check his campaign page). The rate at which Trump changes his mind on certain issues reminds me of baby diapers and how often we need to change them.

Personally, I never for once thought Americans could descend so low to the point of voting for a guy like Trump. On the other hand, it reveals a lot about the American society in general and the kind of people we are dealing with. Every society has people like Trump but I never for once thought America had that many Trumps and in some ways it scares me to think that Americans are the “policemen" of the world. Just imagine a bunch of Trumps in uniforms policing the rest of the world (especially Africa and the Middle East). That is scary. If what happened in Washington stayed in Washington, people like me wouldn’t be worried at all. We are all worried because what happens in America affects as all in one way or the other. In most cases, when the American people make those “not-so-intelligent” decisions, we in the outside world suffer the most. Imagine a guy like Trump with the power to push the button for war anytime. What wouldn’t he do?

The only thing I like about Trump is his super-glued painted hair and the only thing I respect about Trump is his age. Yes he is rich and yes he is “very rich” but what made him so rich? Would Trump be Trump without his inheritance?  Does Trump know anything about poverty? What does Trump know about living from paycheck to paycheck and struggling with rent? Does Trump know anything about going a day or two without food? What does Trump know about struggling all day and night just to feed one’s children? Has Trump ever seen struggle in his life? What does a man who refers to a loan of 1 million dollars a “small loan” know about life? He is a “genius” because he claims he was able to build a business empire with a small loan of 1 million dollars? Even if he was right, does that make him a genius? 1 million dollars at a time when even one dollar was a big deal? To me, he isn’t a genius and will never be because even a 15 year old boy could do what he did at 45. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but that doesn’t make a man genius and that is why Africans say “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors”.

I only pray that the American people wake up in time and choose reason over “stupidity”. I only pray that the American people wake up one day and see how scary a man like Trump appears to poor people like me. I only pray the American people choose right over wrong. Trump cannot be right because he has proven over and over again that he is nothing but Trump and I pray God saves us all from Trump.

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