Barack Obama remains popular in the United States and around the world even as his years out of office grow. He visited Kenya this week, which gave the opportunity for that popularity to be put on display yet again.
He was there to mark the opening of a vocational center to be run by his half sister Auma Obama’s nonprofit. While there, he was captured on camera dancing along to local music, providing a stark contrast to the grim, sobering clips of Donald Trump that circulate.
Obama Dancing in Kenya Is What We Needed
Meanwhile, Obama is dancing in Kenya
Posted by NowThis Politics on Monday, July 16, 2018
He addressed those in attendance Monday in Nyang’oma Kogelo, where his father grew up, quipping:
‘It’s a joy to be here with family and to be here with so many who claim to be my family.’
Before his visit, he shared a list of book recommendations featuring works mostly by African authors, calling the place “a continent of wonderful diversity, thriving culture, and remarkable stories.”
Locals feel a strong connection to the president and at least some wish he would be more involved in the community, but they remain happy to see what they can of him. His visit to the country this week was his first since leaving office; he visited sub-Saharan Africa more times than any other sitting president, he shared on social media. At least one trip of his to the country while he was still in office had a much higher profile, with thousands, as The Washington Post tells it, having turned out to support him. This time around, Kenyan media described his trip as “low-key.”
Before he ever took office, he faced intense scrutiny led by none other than Donald Trump over his Kenyan connection. The “birtherism” movement claimed there to be insufficient evidence that Obama was actually born in the United States, something not even necessary for a U.S. president if he or she was born a citizen because they have a parent who is a U.S. citizen. Trump and his allies in that endeavor just couldn’t wrap their minds around an African American born in the United States being successful enough to become president.
That certainly didn’t stop Obama, though.
Before visiting his ancestral village on Monday, Obama visited with Kenya’s political leaders. He met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who are on apparent newly established speaking terms after an election season that saw intense violence. He incorporated political concerns into the remarks he offered Monday at Auma’s new vocational center, decrying corruption with just enough specificity for people to know what he was talking about.
After his visit to Kenya, he went on to South Africa, where Tuesday he is delivering a speech in honor of what would be Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday at an event brought together by the Obama Foundation.
While Obama was in Kenya on Monday, current U.S. President Donald Trump was in Helinski, Finland, selling out the United States to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He insisted — despite the fact that there is basically universal agreement among U.S. government interests that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. elections — that he saw no reason to believe Russia responsible for election interference.
The two leaders provide quite a contrast between each other.
Featured Image via Screenshot from the Video
