President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their children Malia and Sasha were greeted with cheers and the waving of American and Ghanaian flags as crowds lined the roadway from the airport to the downtown of Accra when they arrived Saturday.
Accra, Ghana was the last leg of a weeklong journey that began in Russia, then Italy and finally Africa. Banners strung across the street of Accra, capital of Ghana, proclaimed “Akwaaba (welcome home) Barack and Michelle Obama.” (Jonathan Clayton for TimesOnLIne)
Ghana was the center of African slavery and gained independence in 1957. Michelle Obama’s great-great-great grandfather was born into slavery and lived as a slave in South Carolina. The first family planned to visit the site of Cape Castle, a former Dutch slaving port. (TimesOnLIne)
A council or durbar of local chiefs has been summoned to a ceremony to mark the occasion at which the First Lady will be granted the title of Queen of the Cape Coast. She will be presented with a hand-made wooden stool as a symbol of family stability and rolls of colorful kente cloth.
Honorable Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, the current president of the council, said that the Obamas’ visit to Cape Castle slave fort will be an emotional moment. “It is a moving place, full of history which reminds us of our painful past and the turmoil that our ancestors went through,” Mr. Ewusi said. He added that the challenges of today were poverty and underdevelopment, issues that the President’s visit is designed to bring to the forefront.
“I am keeping details of the ceremony hush-hush in tradition with our culture but as one of our queens she [Mrs Obama] will be very powerful,” he added. (TimesOnLIne)
Photo Credit: Jason Reed/Reuters
Cheri Cabot, Politics Correspondent
Cheri is a freelance writer, living in Southern California. She has two grown children and is the proud grandmother of three. Cheri is also a purveyor of fine coffee, warm chatter and dry wit.
You can find all of Cheri’s columns on Personal About Politics at www.personalpolitcs.gather.com, The Obama Watch at theobamawatch.gather.com or her home page here, www.ccabot.gather.com.
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Comments: 24
very cool indeed
she is a cool Capricorn herself!
This leg of the trip will undoubtedly have the most profound impact on the entire family--I see President Obama becoming more compassionate, if that is possible, towards the issues here and abroad. It is one thing to read about evil deeds and another to see the physical evidence. President Obama is a pragmatist, and being so, the impact and how he handles issues related to human suffering will become more broad sweeping and punitive to the abusers.
It's great to have a real president again isn't it. Thanks for the update Cheri.
She's well-deserving of this honor!
Touching post.
Love Michelle.
Me too.
I'm not interested.
But, I'm here to support your post.
Well, now... That's a cool thing to have happened.
It is a cool thing,isn't it? When was the last time one of our first ladies has received such an honor? Speaks volumes for the respect she garners.
The Obama children are really getting an incomparable education!
They are indeed. Did you happen to see the cute photo of one of the girl's bare feet in the back of the limo. They were waiting for Mom & Dad to get done with their visit to the Pope. Apparently the kids were not impressed, but it all and just wanted to move on.....typical little kids....delightful.
I missed this one. Their attitude may be typical of kids, but I can't imagine the British royal family allowing their children to duck out of such an important meeting. The Obamas need some lessons in protocol and parenting.
It is very inspiring to have a president and 1rst family that exhibit such morality and character. They are shining examples of what we all should try to attain in ourselves as individuals. I'm so proud of them! He will accomplish many good things for our country. Some of them won't come easily, or quickly, but they will happen. We didn't get in this shape overnight, and we won't rectify it overnight. A lot of harm has been done to the American image, around the world,but at least he is trying to reverse it. We should all be behind him and we should all try to pattern ourselves like him. He will succeed and in so doing, so will we. Remember the old saying: Rome wasn't built in a day".
I forgot to say. "Hello, Cheri. Nice work, as usual!"
Good comment, Robert.
Thanks, Robert!
You are very welcome! Good to be here.
Delightful to see you found your way into Gather. I have been to busy lately to spend much time on Twitter.
One more thing in regard to our president's "Mr. Nice guy extended handshaking style". My grandparents raised me during a time when men were men; coke was coke, a day's work for a day's pay, and he taught me to:not be a bully; but if someone jumped on your back, then feel free to help them off! With this in mind, I marvel at our President's methods, up to this point in time, anyhow.
We've bullied ourselves out of the American way - It's time to get back to being Americans, and President Obama, seems to realize just that, regardless of whether anyone else does or not. I'll bet my saddle on him any day!
Good points, Robert. There are many complaints about Obama traveling to other countries, however, he has a lot of fence mending....or tearing down of fences, as it were....after the past administration offended so many on the world stage.
This must have been a very emotional moment for First Lady Obama, akin to visiting a death camp by a descendent of a Holocaust victim. I personally believe we have become callous and desensitized to the actual suffering that slaves went through at the hands of our American ancestors and others involved in the vicious slave trade. I hope that the first family will bring this horrible time during our history back into light and give it the respect it deserves. I'm so tired of people telling African-Americans to just 'got over it', but then wail and moan about the Jews during the Holocaust. Both deserve their share of respect and honor.