THE AFRICAN STRUGGLE
First Black mayor elected in Ireland
By Cass Gilroy

THE REPUBLIC of Ireland has recently elected its first black mayor, creating history in the process, and it's the latest sign of how rapid immigration is changing the face of this all-white country.

Rotimi Adebari, a Nigerian national who arrived in the Republic only seven years ago as an asylum-seeker, was elected unopposed to lead the council of Portlaoise, a bustling commuter town west of Dublin.

The Nigerian 43, who has been an independent politician on the Portlaoise Town Council since 2004, was backed by both the right-wing Fine Gael party and left-wing Sinn Fein.

Adebari, who planned his post-election party at the new parish hall in Portlaoise, called it a great honour to become the No.1 citizen of this Irish town.

Although they're not known for their racial tolerance, Ireland has absorbed more than 30,000 asylum seekers (particularly from Nigeria) since the mid-1990s. They have even started to brew a special brand of Guinness specifically for the Nigerian community there.

Many asylum-seekers flocked to Ireland to gain European Union citizenship on the basis of having a child born in the country. However, in 2004, Ireland stopped granting citizenship to foreign parents of Irish-born children, a law that had been unique in Europe.

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