Barack Obama Is Rock-Star Popular on First African Trip in 14 Years

This week and next, which are the last two weeks of the Congressional summer break, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) embarked on a five-country tour of Africa. Obama, presently the only African-American member of the Senate, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa.

The purposes of Senator Obama's trip, which includes stops in Kenya, South Africa, Congo, Djibouti and Sudan, are to help improve ties between the United States and the African continent, and to give him a better perspective on problems such as HIV and AIDS.

Yesterday, Obama paid respects to former South African leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, and to "the incredible courage, resilience and hopefulness of the anti-apartheid movement." His visit to the Congo comes weeks after that nation held its first free legislative and presidential election in almost 50 years.

Per AP, another stop on Obama's African sojourn will be with a "group of Kenyan women age 50 and older who have adopted children suffering from AIDS and are making a success of it with the help of a microcredit program supported by his personal funds from a children's book deal. "

He also plans to take his wife and two young daughters to visit relatives, the graves of his father and grandfather, and to their Kenyan sheep-herding ancestry homelands.

Senator Barack Obama's last trip to Africa was 14 years ago as a recent Harvard Law graduate, long before he rose to national and world prominence with his famed July 2004 Democratic Convention speech and his November 2004 election to the US Senate.

Per the Los Angeles Times today, "Obama-mania" is sweeping Kenya as it prepares for the senator's arrival. Senator Durbin (D-IL) predicted last week that "he is going to be wildly received... They realize that he is truly a son of Africa and his election means something to them personally."

Obama will return from Africa a few days before the Senate reconvenes on September 5 to continue debate on H.R. 5631, the controversial Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld request for billions more for US war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan through fiscal year 2007.

To refresh your memory of Obama's stirring speech that exalted him to sudden national prominence, I uploaded the full text of it for your reading pleasure at Barack Obama's Inspiring 2004 Democratic Convention Speech. Savor!

Related Reading
Barack Obama's Controversial 2006 Speech on Religion and Politics
Barack Obama Unleashed & Unplugged
Senator's Kenya Visit Inspires Obama-Mania, Los Angeles Times on August 22, 2006