Currently, I’m in Jamaica for a wedding and visiting family. I went to the supermarket this morning, and there was a poster of the Obama family at the front of the store, just past the checkout. An informal portrait photo, everyone in relaxed poses – the poster was not especially large, 12 inches by 12 inches perhaps. The poster was on some frosted glass that looked like the security guard/CCTV monitoring area. It struck me because it was the only poster around the supermarket; also because it was not someone related more directly to Jamaica & Jamaican politics, like say, the Queen of England, the Governor-General, or the Prime Minister. I took a closer look, and it seems it was an insert from a Jamaican newspaper – no indication as to date, but it looked like it’d been there for a little while.
I’m not sure if I’d put it in the category of soft power (or smart power), especially given the popularity of the Potus and the popularity of the US may not precisely coincide (FiveThirtyEight). And yet, I highly doubt that George W. Bush would’ve received such treatment. A small honor to be sure – but it definitely stood out to me.
Not a novel observation to be sure, but America’s remarkable ability to reinvent itself is pretty astounding. This fairly random encounter with the President’s image also underscored the many meanings the Obamas embody around the world. Although, Michelle Obama’s visit to a London school already highlighted this point (BBC).
