This transcription was prepared by Greg Doudna, (c) 2008. All rights reserved. An original of this document can be seen at www.lulu.com.
(Phone ringing.)
BROTHER TOM: Hello.
MCRAE: Uh, Bother Tom. Brother Tom, this is Brother McRae.
BROTHER TOM: Yes.
MCRAE: OK, how are you today?
BROTHER TOM: Oh, we are OK. How are you?
MCRAE: I am doing very well. You said you are there with, uh, uh, uh, Barack Obama’s grandmother.
BROTHER TOM: Yes, yeah I’m, I am just at the home now with everybody here. We are, uh, we’re waiting to talk to you a rather long conversation, and uh, ask things of you in America there. Vitalis Akech comes from a very,uh, Vitalis is from a good family and he is ready to talk.
MCRAE: Well good. Uh, she’s not there at, at the present?
BROTHER TOM: Yes, she is here right now.
VOICE (in background): But she is unable to speak (unintelligible
MCRAE: OK.
BROTHER TOM: But she is not able to speak English.
MCRAE: Is--
BROTHER TOM: Yes.
MCRAE: Is it possible to speak to her?
BROTHER TOM: Yes, if you can put all your questions in, oh, ah, only me to, to--see, she only understands, and to know and speak Swahili.
MCRAE: Uh, is it possible for you to put her on the speakerphone and translate for me?
BROTHER TOM: Yes. Yeah, yeah I can do that.
MCRAE: OK.
(sound of equipment moving)
BROTHER TOM: Yes?
MCRAE: OK?
BROTHER TOM: Yeah, OK.
(Brother Tom in background speaking in foreign language)
MCRAE: Ah--
(Mrs. Obama’s voice in the background in a foreign language)
MCRAE: Miss--
(voices in background)
MCRAE: Miss Obama--
(Foreign language in background continues, and Mrs. Obama.)
VOICE (in background): McRae.
MCRAE: Uh, Mrs. Obama, my name is Bishop Ron McRae.
BROTHER TOM (in background): I think I (unintelligible) her, ah, Bishop John Mc-Ray-ah. John Mc-Ray-ah.
MALE VOICE (in background): Mc-Ray-ah.
BROTHER TOM (in background): Yea-ah.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (to McRea): Go ahead?
MCRAE: I am, I am, the, I am the Bishop of the Anabaptists Churches of North America.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (in background): In this whole world, that is
what he says? (unintelligible/foreign language)
(Mrs. Obama in background.)
VOICE: Are you listening, ready to speak, but (unintelligible) in?--No no!--Are you, are you, are you speaking English?
Can you speak a little bit slow, OK?
MCRAE: Now give me that again? Explain it to me again?
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: She says welcome. (Pause.) She is very grateful for, for, for your, ah, great people sir.
MCRAE: OK thank you. Tell her I count it a great honor to speak to her, uh, since her son Barack Obama is running for president of the United States.
VOICE (in background): Eh, what do you know, do you know wha--, where he comes from, uh?
VOICE (in background): To visit the president's mother. America.
(Mrs. Obama in background.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah, she is very informed for that and you please pray for Obama. She is asking you to pray for him, for Obama.
MCRAE: Yes sir. Uh, Miss Obama, you, you can rest assured that I am praying for your son. Uh, your grandson. Or possibly "Are you listening? I'm ready to speak . . ." "listening"? "fluent"?
(slight pause)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yes, yes, how supportive toward her there are also a feeling to her.
MCRAE: OK.
VOICE (speaking to someone in background): Only a moment, don't worry.
(Mrs. Obama in background.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: So, she says she is very welcome for your
prayer please grant to her and her son.
MCRAE: OK. And--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: You know--uh-huh?--
MCRAE: And tell her that I will be coming there in December. I would like to come by and meet with her and pray with her.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: (Pause.) Yeah--
(foreign words in background.)
BROTHER TOM (in background): In December, when in December. He is coming in December and that he wants to come and talk with you. Eh--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah.
(Mrs. Obama speaking in background.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Oh, she says yes, yes well come here. You are coming in December so that you can talk together, with her.
MCRAE: Amen. I, I'm, I'm so thankful.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yes.
MCRAE: Uh, could I ask her, uh, could I ask her about his, uh, his, his, his actual birthplace. I would like to see his birthplace when I, when I come to Kenya in December. Uh, was she, was she, was she present when he was--
VOICE (in background): It is here.
MCRAE: Was she present when he was born in Kenya?
BROTHER TOM: I think, uh, uh I think--
VOICE (in background): (unintelligible)
BROTHER TOM (in background): He is asking her that, uh, he wants to know something that uh, was uh you, was they, was she present when, ah, he was born. Were they they there then?
(Male voice in foreign language in background.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yes, they say that yes she was. She was present when Obama was born.
(McRae catches breath)
MCRAE: OK. Uh, when I come in December I would like to go by the, the place, the hospital where he is born. Uh, could you tell me where he was born? Was he born in Mombasa?
(Long pause. Puzzled sound from Translator Ogombe in background: "naah?")
BROTHER TOM: Uh, uh, I, I will need help. I think, uh I think, I kind of, you know we'll be coming December (unintelligible) and Vitalis, and I talking to him, so I tell him--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (in background, simultaneously): --no, no--what?!?
BROTHER TOM: --that you are a capitalist, that you were a little, that you were a little, a little, a little American bus--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (responding to background voices, sounding distressed): No--yes--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (to McRae): No! Obama was not born in Mombasa! He was born in America!
MCRAE: Wh-whereabouts, whereabouts was he born? I, I thought he was born in Kenya.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: No he was born in America, not in Mombasa.
MCRAE: OK. Do you know whereabouts he was born?
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: (Pause.) Huh?
MCRAE: Do you know where he was born? I thought he was born in Kenya. I was gonna go by and see where he was born.
(two male voices in background in foreign language speaking at the same time. Mrs. Obama or another woman in background.)
VOICE (background): It was Hawaii.
VOICE OF MRS. OBAMA OR ANOTHER WOMAN (background): Hawaii.
BROTHER TOM (background): Hawaii, yeah?
VOICE OF MRS. OBAMA OR ANOTHER WOMAN (background): Yeah.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (background): Yes.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (to McRae): Sir, she says he was born in Hawaii.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah, in 1960 this was Hawaii, where his father, his father was also marrying there. This was Hawaii.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah.
MCRAE: Was, was, was Mrs. Obama, was sh--was she present? Was, was Mrs. Obama, see I thought you said she was present. Was she, was, was she, was she able to see him being, being born in, in Hawaii?
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: (pause, silence) Hoh? (pause) Uh, yeah would you please pronounce?
MCRAE: OK I’m sorry. I, I thought she said she was present when he was born. I was—
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (sounding exasperated): No, no! The, the woman was not present. She was uh not, a what--you see, she was here in Kenya, and Obama was born in America. That is, that’s obvious.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Because, because the grandmother was married here in Kenya, and Obama was born in America, oh yeah, so his son, the little Obama, was marrying, was marrying, in America, in United States.
MCRAE: Oh, OK, fine. I mean, I--I just, I misunderstood what she was saying. I thought you said she was present when he was born.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: No, not present there. The present with me here was tonight. Not present so she can leave. No she was here in Kenya while he, uh, her son, the little Obama, was marrying in America. And, uh, he be present if it--
WOMAN'S VOICE (background): It was in Hawaii.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: --was in America there, why are they for, they
go, they go, they go to some place, then the present isn't here sir, he was born there in America.
MCRAE: OK. Well tell, tell her I would like to come by and see her when I am there in December. I would love to, uh, meet her personally and pray with her.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: (short pause) When will you soon be sending? (slight pause) Yes, when you come in December--
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: So you can, when do you, when you come, what time?
MCRAE: Yeah, when I, when I come in December I would love to come by and visit with her and uh, pray with her while I am there in, uh, Kisuma.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yes, when you come in December you find her here.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Once you, you give her a present they, they hoping that they know when you are coming.
MCRAE: OK. D-, d-, does she have a, does she have a Swahili Bible?
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Huh?
MCRAE: Does Mrs. Obama, does, does she she have a Swahili Bible?
(Brother Tom's voice in foreign language.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (to McRae): Yes. A Swahili Bible she has, yes.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: She has at home.
MCRAE: Alright.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yes.
MCRAE: I would like to buy her a real nice large print Bible, if that would be fine.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Uh-huh?
VOICE (in background): You need to welcome him, he gets her a Union Bible, more over there, it might be Swahili. (pause, distinctly) Can it be delivered?
(Mrs. Obama in background)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah, she says that is very fine. All you got to see out here it is more and more hideous so there is nothing better than to read. To give it now?
(pause)
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE (gently): No? Yes?
MCRAE: Alright, I didn’t, I didn’t quite understand all of that.
(pause)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Oh?
MCRAE: Can she read Swahili?
(background voice in foreign language, and Mrs. Obama)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Yeah, yeah, she, yeah, she, she can understands Swahili or Luo.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: But she can--she cannot read it.
MCRAE: OK, alright.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Someone reads it in Luo so she completely understands.
MCRAE: OK alright. Well tell her its been a pleasure to talk to her. Are you, are you, uh, s-- who am I speaking with right now?
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Huh?
MCRAE: Who am I speaking with right now? Are you, are you kin to--
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: (unintelligible) you are speaking with Vitalis Akech.
MCRAE: OK.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Vitalis Akech is uh, a third grandson to Miss Sarah.
MCRAE: Oh OK, alright, it’s, it's a pleasure to meet you.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: My home, my home is just a, a distance so the Grand-, Grandmother's her house home is most home. Just we, just we do favors.
MCRAE: OK good. Well its been a pleasure talking to you. Uh, please tell Mrs. Obama that I will be praying for her and I will be praying for her son.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Thank you, right now?
VOICE (in background): Right now?
(Voice in background, foreign language)
(Mrs. Obama in background.)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: So, she says if you are willing to come here,
your (unintelligible), and she really hopes for it, eh?
MCRAE: Amen.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Amen.
MCRAE: Alright, may the Lord bless her very much.
(Translator Ogombe in background, foreign language)
MRS. OBAMA (in background, loudly): Amen, amen, amen.
MCRAE: Amen. OK.
MRS. OBAMA (in background): sata sata, eh, ar sata yesu nah koh baraki.
BROTHER TOM: Hello?
MCRAE: Hello? What did she say?
BROTHER TOM: Did you hear her, ah--yes?
MCRAE: What did she just say?
BROTHER TOM: She was saying that uh, God bless you you're welcome. She was talking in a loc—in a local language.
MCRAE: OK, Amen. Alright, hey Tom—
BROTHER TOM: Uh, yes.
MCRAE: --Brother Tom, I will call you back here just in, in about five or ten minutes. I will call you back personally.
BROTHER TOM: OK, let you, ah, is there anything that you, you, you answer, uh, maybe to, to, to me, these, was there anything, and even, even the others, even the other brothers here, and uh the, the, even the other grand-, there is another grand-uh-son who is here, and uh, so many people in the room that is from Kogela all over.
MCRAE: Amen. Well--
BROTHER TOM: Yes.
MCRAE: Ah--I will look forward to meeting all of them when I come in December. Uh, I am a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I would like to, uh, meet with all of them as a family, and perchance talk to them about Jesus Christ and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ alone.
(background foreign language)
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Oh, she says he is welcome here. So you are, you are preaching and she hopes that you will do so--heh? Amen.
MCRAE: Amen. Amen. May the Lord bless all of you.
TRANSLATOR OGOMBE: Thank you.
MCRAE: Alright, may God bless you. Bye-bye.
BROTHER TOM: OK. OK.
MCRAE: Alright Tom, I’ll call you back here shortly.
BROTHER TOM: Yes, OK, Uh, I am, I am, I am with Vitalis, and uh I think we're leaving, and uh, you call us in about a, a half an hour, alright?
MCRAE: OK I will do that. Alright thank you very much Tom.
BROTHER TOM: You're welcome.
MCRAE: Alright, bye-bye.
BROTHER TOM: You're fine.
[END][1]
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