Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is inspiring namesake changes in Brazil. |
Brazilian citizens — many of whom are running for local office — have begun to change their names to “Barack Obama,” capitalizing on the popularity of the Illinois senator.
Meet some of the faux-Obamas in Reuters’s video report.
“Portuguese” blog provides a list of Brazilian Baracks, including a woman running for office in Rio de Janeiro.
Blogger “Xica bahia” explains the phenomenon: “For Afro-Brazilians in Bahia and in other parts of Brazil, it is empowering to see someone that looks like your uncle or brother running as president of the United States.”
“My Brazilian Brasil” blog thinks it could diminish the electoral process, but chooses to focus on the humor.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has praised Obama’s nomination as a “revolution in the mindset of the American electorate.”
Obama has received popular ratings in foreign countries, where many believe he could improve U.S. relations with the world.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user jmtimages under a Creative Commons license.
