The Audacity of Hope, Senegalese Edition

For anyone curious about the impact of Barack Obama on the African continent's psyche and international outlook, I have a story to share!

Mike, one of my many Princeton friends here, flew to Cape Town on Delta via Dakar, Senegal. The Senegalese authorities conduct a security sweep of the aircraft and spray the aisles with an anti-malarial substance. Mike was chatting with another study abroad student down the aisle when a Senegalese border patrolman thumbed through the seat-back pocket of Mike's chair. The officer immediately found a thumbed copy of Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Shouting as if he uncovered a bomb, the officer inquired, "Who owns this book? Who owns this book?"

Seeing his book held up in the aisle, Mike returned to his seat and asked the officer if there was a problem. The border patrolman said, "This book changed my life. It is very, very special!" With that, he gently placed it back in Mike's seat-back pocket and softly padded the top for good measure.

I enjoyed this story very much -- especially because I was quite leery of flying Delta because of the Dakar stop-over. I guess I did not have much to fear.