Jubilant Africans harness enthusiasm for Obama

The performers pounded on animal-skin drums, the singer howled praise for Barack Obama, and the audience of fist-bumping supporters of the US presidential candidate joined in the chorus: "We can do it! Yes we can!"

The shindig, held by a group calling itself "Africans for Obama 08," drew hundreds of people from the Nigerian business elite. Each paid more than $2,000 to munch on grilled snails, sip from flutes of Veuve Cliquot and Moet & Chandon and join in a lively, if poorly executed, series of the "fist bumps" popularized by Obama and his wife, Michelle.

Interest in the US presidential race is blooming around the world's poorest continent as Obama emerges as the Democratic candidate, stunning many here who never believed that a son of Africa had a real shot at leading the United States. Now, with entertainments and parties, text messages and T-shirts, both political organizers and entrepreneurs are seeking to harness the growing enthusiasm for Obama's message of youthful change, which resonates on a continent where leaders often hang on as long as possible.