Bonne Fete de President!

Today François Bozizé was re-inaugurated into the Central African presidency… a great excuse for a national holiday (which was declared yesterday) and much celebrating. There wasn’t school today and around noon when I wandered down the normally lively streets to a café for lunch I could hear the inauguration speech blasting out of radios and televisions. Our guard, along with half the city, was decked out in the don’t-shoot-me orange Bozize campaign garb for the special occasion.

our guard listening to Bozize on his radio

There really has been a lot of hype and orange lately. I don’t actually know why people get so excited about Bozize. It’s probably his good looks and charisma. Or maybe the people were just excited the elections are officially over and they don’t have to worry about them anymore. The elections were originally set for April 25, 2010 and they only just got around to it last month.

I realized today I know pretty much nothing about President Bozizé… except that he lead a rebellion in 2003 against the last president and starting a civil war, which ended with him seizing power and becoming president and I’ve also been told that he doesn’t pay his government workers. Great guy. In an attempt to fix my ignorance and figure out why everybody loves Bozize I hopped onto the internet to do some research. I was not disappointed by Wikipedia’s long article outlining his life. It’s basically a list of military attacks, fleeing, him seeking refuge in France after a prison sentence, taking over Central Africa and ultimately becoming president. I still don’t know what he’s done as president. Not much I guess.

Bozize. photo credits to google images

But good news! He’s got plans for his next five-year term. In one of his quotes from the swearing-in ceremony today that I found online Bozize said, "For my second five-year term [or maybe it'll be a six or seven-year term if I can successfully postpone the elections again], my most absolute wish is to consolidate tirelessly the work of national reconstruction undertaken since the leap ahead of 2003." I have no idea what that is supposed to mean but it sounds positive.

What I do know is that after Bozize came to power his rule established a form of peace. After experiencing the terrible events of the civil war (I guess that’s what you’d call it) not very long ago, peace is something the Central Africans do not want to part with. I am praying, for the sake of these people, that this country will truly continue to experience peace and I, along with most everyone else in this country, am praising God that these elections were so peaceful (there’s a reason to celebrate). Happy François Bozizé day!