I've heard people of Irish decent use that phrase.
Me too. I remember when JFK was said to be “a son of Ireland.”
I have too but only in relation to their ancestors, as in:
“homeland of my grandfather”, etc. I have never heard anyone of any decent refer to the nation of their ancestors as “their home land or home country”.
Regardless, I still find this, at the minimum, hopelessly naive and an exercise in futile political romanticism. Face it, this man had almost ZERO contact with his father or with Africa.
Except for his years in Indonesia, which is not Africa, this man was raised by a white grandmother, went to a fancy and expensive mostly white private school, and then went on to big-time white universities where he eventually decided (according to his biography) to “take on the identity of a black man.”
Okay, so if he wants to be a black man, fine. But to go on and on about how Kenya is his “homeland” or “home country” — but then it isn’t when that isn’t convenient or politically expedient — it’s just all very bizarre.
The worst thing is that one never seems to hear even minimally comparable expressions of a bond with, you know, the United States of America. I would really like to know Obambi’s honest answer to the question, “Do you feel like you are an American and, if so, what does being an American mean to you?”
....yawn....a figure of speech...
Of course thats what she will say. My step dad was born in the USA of Italian immigrants and always called Italy the homeland and the homecountry.
But, but, but... It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was born in Kenya... or Indonesia... or... or...