Washington welcomes Obama

KOBOS Afrikan Clothiers has a prime location in Adams Morgan, the funky, multicultural Washington neighborhood north of Dupont Circle. Its collection features gorgeous African batiks, kente cloth, and jewelry, all imported from West Africa. Mahrama Bawa, proprietor and longtime community presence, says his primary customers, other than the occasional Peace Corps volunteer, are African-Americans who dress in traditional clothing for special celebrations such as weddings and graduations.

Not surprisingly, his shop has been very busy in the weeks leading up to Barack Obama's inauguration as president.

"People are really gearing up," says Bawa, who is originally from Ghana. "There is a spirit of hope and opportunity for something different, you can really feel that."

Obama's historic inauguration today has as many meanings as there are Americans. Each citizen seems to project his or her own dreams and desires on Obama's skinny shoulders. For the African diaspora, though, the son of a Kenyan father is a particular source of pride, and never mind the distinctions among countries. "In Africa, when you start digging, the roots go outside the boundaries," Bawa says.

"Kobos" means "riches" in the Hausa language. Bawa says he took the name from a Nigerian expression popular in the 1950s, a time of rising nationalism. Roughly translated, it means "honesty is better than riches." He says the statement was meant as an admonition to emerging African leaders, and he laughs at the suggestion that it is good advice for Obama as well. "Yes, to be guided by truth and sincerity, that is our wish."

Mahrama Bawa's store is a kind of barometer of African-American pride. Today, the indicators are up.

RENÉE LOTH