Obama: 'I'm the first Kenyan-American to be president'
obama delivers powerful speech to the people of Kenya 02:40
Story highlights
- Obama inspires Kenyan crowd
- 'We are all part of one tribe'
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN)President
Barack Obama capped an emotional return to his father's home country of
Kenya on Sunday with an impassioned speech that was steeped in pride in
his own African heritage.
"I'm the first Kenyan-American to be president of the United States. That goes without saying," Obama said.
Inside
a packed Nairobi gymnasium filled with nearly 5,000 cheering Kenyans,
Obama offered his own personal history as evidence that all Africans
have the potential to rise from even the most difficult circumstances.
"When
it comes to the people of Kenya, especially the youth, I believe there
is no limit to what you can achieve," Obama said. "You can build your
future right here, right now."
Obama
also urged nations across Africa to reject the oppression of women,
likening the problem to Americans who cling to the Confederate flag, as a
symbol of white power.
"Just because something is a tradition doesn't mean it's right," Obama said.
"Treating
women as a second-class citizen is a bad tradition. It's holding you
back," he added, condemning domestic violence, sexual assault and
genital mutilation.
The
president acknowledged he risked offending his Kenyan hosts when he
called on the country's leaders to reject ethnic divisions and
government corruption.
"I don't want
everybody to get too sensitive," Obama told the crowd. "But here in
Kenya it's time to change habits," Obama added, calling corruption "an
anchor that weighs you down."
Recalling
his family's struggles, Obama recounted how his grandfather worked as a
cook for the British military. "He was referred to as a boy, even
though he was a grown man," Obama said.
But the president pointed to his own family's progress from those humble beginnings.
"What
these stories also tell us is about the arc of progress," Obama said.
"We have to know our history so that we learn from it."
Obama
also vowed the U.S. will intensify its cooperation with the Kenyan
government in its ongoing battle against the terrorist group, al
Shabaab.
The terror fight was a major subject of Obama's bilateral discussion with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta.
"We
will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in this fight against
terrorism -- for as long as it takes," Obama said during Sunday's
speech.
The
president was introduced to the crowd by his half-sister, Auma Obama,
who said her brother "continues to be very attached to us."
She
relayed the story of how she picked up a young Obama at the Nairobi
airport, during the future president's first trip to Kenya, in an old
Volkswagen Beetle, noting that he has returned in the presidential
limousine, known as "The Beast."
"He gets us," Auma Obama said. "He's one of us."
Also
in the audience, along with members of Congress and U.S. business
leaders, was the president's half-brother, Malik Obama, who said he was
grateful his powerful sibling "finally came to Kenya" as
commander-in-chief.
"This is an important step in uniting everybody and showing the whole world a true sense of brotherhood," Malik Obama said.
Although
Obama did not visit his father's village of Kogelo during this visit,
the president spent portions of each night in Kenya with relatives.
At a state dinner hosted by Kenya's president Saturday night, Obama described the evening as a "somewhat unusual Obama reunion."
"I
suspect that some of my critics back home are suspecting that I'm back
here to look for my birth certificate. That's not the case," Obama
joked, before dancing and singing with the dinner's attendees.
In
his speech to the Kenyan people Sunday, Obama made a concerted effort
to weave his own family story into a larger narrative of hope for the
African people.
"You are poised to play
a bigger role in this world," the president said. "In the end, we are
all a part of one tribe, the human tribe."
The
president's message on female oppression resonated with Josephine
Kulea, a women's rights activist who wore a radiant traditional African
dress for the historic speech.
"The things he mentioned are real here and they need to be tackled," said Kulea.
No comments:
Post a Comment