by Sean Bowditch

Barack Obama has a growing fan base across the African continent, the AP reports. In Ghana, radio stations have been airing an increasing number of locally-produced hits that heap praise on Obama. University students in Uganda have launched what amounts to a 5,000-member Obama fan club. And the Nigerian group, "Blacks Unite for Obama 08", is trying to drum up support by encouraging people to send 75-cent text messages and possibly win a trip to the US. Other efforts are afoot in Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya.

Another group in Nigeria took it a step farther. Reuters reports that "Africans for Obama" recently threw a high-profile fundraiser, charging attendees $2,000 each to snack on gourmet snails, sip fancy champagne, and talk about all things Obama. US law prohibits political campaigns from accepting donations from foreign donors, so it's unclear how the money will be used. The Nigerian government seemed to be wondering the same thing. The anti-graft police promptly seized over $600,000 from the event organizers. No word on what local laws were broken.