Daar Kom Allie 'Bama's

FOR THE BENEFIT OF FOREIGN READERS: The caption and old ship in this cartoon refer to an old Cape Town folk song which has become something of a local anthem, titled "Daar Kom Die Alibama", literally: 'There Comes The Alabama'. [see You Tube clip below].

In 1863, during the American Civil War, the Confederate raider 'The Alabama' put into Cape Town for supplies. There was much sympathy for the Confederate cause in the Cape Province - then still a British Colony - in spite of the fact that slavery had been outlawed since 1814. Ship Captain Raphael Semmes and his crew were royally entertained by their hosts, and this song has since been embraced by both Afrikaners and so-called 'coloured people' of mixed race as part of their heritage. And to this day, one of the Alabama's flags hangs in the South African Museum, heralding the dawning of American / South African relations.

The cartoon depicts Cape Town Mayor Patricia De Lille, who wishes to confer the Freedom of the City on Barack and Michelle Obama, contemplating the tatters of the American President's electoral promises.