NAIROBI, Kenya (Map, News) - From the shantytowns of Kenya's capital to the rural homestead of Barack Obama's relatives, thousands of Kenyans slaughtered goats, hoisted American flags and partied into the night Tuesday as a man they see as one of their own ascended to the world's most powerful office.
In Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum, residents raised a U.S. flag and declared Kenya to be America's 51st state. In the village of Kogelo, where Obama's father was born and some family members still live, 5,000 people gathered as 10 bulls and six goats were slaughtered for a luxurious feast at a time when the country is enduring a crippling food crisis. Women dressed in colorful print cloths performed traditional dances to the rhythms of cowhide drums.
"Yes, yes, yes!" shouted Maurice Odoyo, 34, joining hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of Obama's speech on a 12-inch television set up in a clearing in Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums. "His father comes from this country. Obama will remember us, how we are suffering."
The election of a black American president with African roots stands as a powerful symbol on a continent where so many people's hopes are hobbled by crushing poverty and corruption. And in Kenya, a struggling country of 38 million riven a year ago by a deadly postelection crisis, Obama's presidency was a source of pride and inspiration.