Posted on 09/04/2009 3:03:36 PM PDT by kingattax
A 37-year-old man from Guinea-Bissau is bidding to become Russia’s first black elected official.
Dubbed the “Volgograd Obama,” Joachim Crima, who calls himself Vasily Ivanovich in Russian, is standing in district elections in south Russia’s Volgograd Region.
“I was born in Africa, but I have lived in the district for 12 years and feel practically Russian,” the watermelon seller said. “I have a son here and this is why I cannot be indifferent to the fate of the region.”
“I want to make the lives of people, whom I consider my compatriots, better. I am ready to work from morning until evening to resolve their problems.”
The newsru.com website said Crima was using the common Russian expression for working hard as his campaign slogan. Elections are due on October 11.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
FR humor will be unleashed in 5...4....3....
Just wait until he starts holding town hall meetings!
Is there a big demand for watermelons in Russia?
I’d like something to drink, preferably some vodka.
Maybe you’d best have a… Black Russian.
Ah-HAH-HAH!! Black Russian! You hear what he said? Black Russian! That’s a funny joke. I get it. I’m black. Now, that’s funny!
wow this is old news. I broke the ice on this story two weeks ago....
The story is older than that. I read about this guy somewhere months ago.
He's the sort of immigrant that any country would want. He's 100% committed to his new homeland, and is very proud to be a Russian.
He seems an OK guy. No reason to insult him by associating him with Obama
I wish him luck but I wouldn’t expect any black leaders in Russia for many decades. They’re probably at least a century away from that.
Agreed. He hasn't said or done anything that would cause us to think he's a radical of any sort.
Talk about being in the minority. He must be one of only a small handful of blacks in all of Russia.
Joachim Crima, who calls himself Vasily Ivanovich in Russian,...
Calls himself Vasily Ivanovich in Russian, like the way John Leibowotz calls himself John Stewart on American television?
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