The Man Behind Obama’s Words

Published in Ideal Digital
(Spain) on 13 January 2009
by José María Guadalupe (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Brandon Brewer. Edited by .

Edited by Louis Standish

A friend of mine in the teaching profession is going through the process with a passionate curiosity of intimately familiarizing herself with the techniques that she should utilize as a future emotional coach, a profession currently all the rage, among other things. These methods would help us to be more socially competent, in charge of our emotions and conscious of our body language and the power of speech. As politicians, businessmen, athletes, union members, professors, artists and journalists we should all have our own emotional coach, just as we turn to other professionals for preventive or other necessary measures. I don't know if the soon-to-be President of the United States of America has or had the support of an emotional coach during the long and hard electoral campaign. I suspect that he did because Americans do not tend to improvise nor practice spontaneity without having prepared, analyzed and rehearsed it a thousand times.

What I am sure of, because we learned about it through the media, is that he has had a spiritual editor by his side: the man that knew how to capture the feelings, ideas and proposals that have motivated and inspired hope in the majority of American citizens. If it is important to write a good speech then it is even more essential to know how to read one. It's the power of speech. The 27-year-old ghostwriter, Jon Favreau, has led Obama's speechwriting team, and both the “New York Times” and “Newsweek” have dedicated interviews and long articles about him. Someone went as far as to call him "the poet" for his lyrical contributions to Obama's phrases. Anyone who has experienced firsthand the chance to be the ghostwriter for someone else understands the happiness and personal satisfaction that the young 'Favs' -that is his nickname among the Democratic team-must feel knowing that he played a necessary role in such an exceptional historic moment like that of an African-American becoming the next head tenant in the White House.

Through Jon's pen and Obama's elocution , the literary dream of the Dominican writer Manuel del Cabral has come true. His novel, "The Black President," published in 1973 in his later years, predicted the future from the color of his skin and suffering of his people. In his work, Del Cabral calls out to people of all ideologies, independent of their race, religion, geographical space and historical past, to come together under the common idea of sharing their existence as well as to seek with humility and respect the creation of a more just and harmonious society through dialogue and reason.


UNA amiga mía, dedicada vocacionalmente a la enseñanza, camina con apasionada inquietud por la senda de conocer, en profundidad, las técnicas que deberá aplicar como futura preparadora emocional, profesión que está de moda, entre otras cosas, para conseguir que seamos socialmente más hábiles, que controlemos nuestra emociones o que cuidemos el lenguaje corporal o el poder de la palabra. Políticos, empresarios, deportistas, sindicalistas, profesores, artistas, periodistas deberíamos tener a nuestro preparador emocional de la misma manera que acudimos a otros profesionales de forma preventiva o necesaria. No sé si Obama, el futuro e inmediato presidente de los Estados Unidos de América tiene o ha contado con la ayuda de un preparador emocional durante la larga y dura campaña electoral. Sospecho que sí, porque los americanos no suelen improvisar ni practicar la espontaneidad sin haberla preparado, analizado y ensayado mil veces.
De lo que sí estoy seguro, porque lo hemos sabido a través de los medios de comunicación, es que ha tenido a su lado, a su redactor espiritual. Al hombre que ha sabido captar los sentimientos, ideas y propuestas que han generado motivación e ilusión a la mayoría de los ciudadanos americanos. Si importante es escribir un buen discurso mas aún es saber leerlo. El poder de la palabra.
El blanco 'negro' -se denomina 'negro' en el ámbito literario o artístico a quien realiza una obra con la firma o autoría de otro- ha dirigido a los 'speechwriters' -redactores de discursos-, tiene 27 años y se llama Jon Favreau. El NY Times o Newsweek le han dedicado grandes reportajes y entrevistas y alguien llegó a denominarle como «el poeta» por sus aportaciones líricas a las frases de Obama.
Uno que siente en sus carnes el haber sido 'negro' para el hombre blanco comprende la alegría y la satisfacción personal que debe experimentar el joven 'Favs', -que es su apodo dentro del equipo demócrata- al saberse cooperador necesario de un hecho histórico tan excepcional como el que un negro sea el próximo inquilino principal de la Casa Blanca.
Con la pluma de Jon y la palabra de Obama se hace realidad aquel sueño literario del escritor dominicano, Manuel del Cabral cuando, ya anciano, publicó en 1973 su novela, 'El presidente negro' presagiando el futuro desde su color de piel y desde su dolor de piel. Del Cabral, en su obra, hace una llamamiento al ser humano de cualquier ideología e independientemente de su raza, de su religión, de su espacio geográfico, de su pasado histórico para fundirse en la idea común de compartir la existencia y con humildad y respeto buscar a través del diálogo y el razonamiento la construcción de una sociedad más justa y solidaria.
El blanco 'negro', tiene la pluma y Obama la palabra.
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