Some thoughts on our post-shithole era, after a week traveling through West Africa with an American passport.
Before he was elected, Trump called South Africa a "crime ridden mess" and said the US had "suffered enough" from Somali refugees. That was pretty much the extent of his Africa policy.
Expectations were not high here. “Nambia” could be laughed off. Adding Chad to the travel ban for no apparent reason could be dismissed. US diplomats told me they were just happy Africa was off Trump’s radar, that he couldn’t locate their embassies on a map.
Last week’s comments represented something different. It’s not that people here are surprised that a US president would insult their countries. In 1943, FDR became the first president to visit Africa. When he returned, he said, “The natives are five thousand years back of us.”
But even FDR thought engagement with Africa was a good thing. So has pretty much every president since. It’s not just the “shithole” comment that matters. It’s the sense that Africa is a place of no interest to America, full of people who don’t even deserve visas.
I think that will be a hard thing to forget in each of the 54 countries Trump insulted. I hope this is a moment for Washington to think more about the importance of the world’s fastest growing continent. That would be a smart move. So far, not looking good.
